War
by Alpacas
Summary: With the region in the middle of a horrifying war, Sasuke finds it hard to just survive. When he met Naruto, who had been preserved for about 3,000 years, it got harder. SasuNaru. Eventual Mpreg.
1. It Begins

**The Amazing Doodle Presents:**

_War  
_

**C. One;**_**  
**_"_What are they, Daddy?"_

_--_

_So here the family of four sat... all warm and cozy by the fireplace. The youngest child sitting on his father's lap, while the two twins sat in front of him. The childrens' attention focused on their father, anxiously waiting for the marvelous story that they had heard many times before... never tiring from it. The mystery amazing them, the romance making them believe in true love, the mention of artificial beings and supernatural events thrilling them. They prepared themselves once more for that remarkable story to be retold._

"What are they again, Daddy?" The youngest asked.

"You should know by now, Nagoyaka!" The eldest twin somewhat scolded.

"C'mon, Kashikoi. Don't be so mean." The youngest twin said softly.

"I'm not being mean, Ryou!" Kashikoi defended.

Their father laughed. "Alright guys. Be nice. Why don't you remind him what they are then, sweetheart."

Kashikoi cleared her throat. "Artificial beings, in the best way I can comprehend them, are things that have full human capability. They can touch, feel, make goals for themselves. Since the first time you told us the story, Dad, I did a little research..."

"And?" Her father pushed.

"Well... I skimmed over some things in Uncle Kakashi's library, and from what I read artificial beings need to have a goal. Without one, they believe they have no purpose. It would be the same principle if all of you died and left me alone. I wouldn't know what to live for." She paused. "Uncle Kakashi told me himself that for an artificial being to survive in the real world, like us humans, there must be five elements present."

"What are those, sis?" Ryou asked, his voice still quiet.

"Environment, input or senses, memory or rule book, output or motor, and something like a goal meter. That's all Uncle would tell me."

"Dad," Ryou started. "Was Mom artificial?"

The raven haired man watched his son. He waited a bit before answering. "To this day, I'm not sure if he was. He was entirely human, I can tell you that. He had feelings, even if he didn't understand them. He could bleed. He had to do all of the things normal humans had to do to survive, and then some. He had a heart, just like me and you, and your brother and sister. In fact, I believe that in some ways, he was more human than all of us."

"Daddy, could you tell us the story now?" Nagoyaka asked sweetly.

Their father nodded. With a small breath he began. And while telling the tale, he tried thinking back to when he was there, the feeling bringing that welcoming warmth back to his heart.

"Long ago, before you and I were even born, there was an era of darkness in this region. Men no longer had pure, innocent hearts, but instead had black, tainted ones. The story begins with the experimentation for artificial life. Little was known about it, and the people were growing more curious about such a science.

"At first, they studied all they could, finding the information overwhelming, but couldn't help but want more. Years in the theory, they had begun their practice. The group behind the experimenting did not make their practice known, for they feared some may walk in and steal their secrets."

"Why did they want to try to make humans?" Ryou asked.

"Simple, Ryou. They wanted to play God. They wanted to feel the pride of creating new life, knowing that they had the power to control such a delicate and complicated work of science. They wanted to prove to the world that they were untouchable, that they were genuine geniuses."

Kashikoi huffed. "That's a stupid reason."

"How so?"

"Well, Father, for one, they didn't even comprehend the consequences and sacrifices of what they were doing. You'd think they'd have enough sense to know that they _aren't _God, no matter how much they wanted to be."

"That's just it. They were greedy. They loved the taste of sin, of the wonders science was able to show them."

"When did they first make one?" Nagoyaka asked this time.

"At first, they had no idea how to start. Creating life to them was new, and they knew little of what was needed of them to succeed. Every time they tried, they met failure. They knew that if they were going to succeed, they needed to do it quickly, for they knew that they could not keep their practice a secret forever. Someone was bound to figure them out. Most of them grew frustrated and said to hell with it, but those few that were determined enough not to quit stayed."

"How stupid of them..." Kashikoi mumbled.

The man laughed. "They didn't think they were so stupid when they had their first breakthrough."

The childrens' attention was on him fully now.

"It was during winter when they found some sort of success. Their happiness was short lived, when the test subject died within the week. They had no idea what went wrong; they were sure that they had done it right that time.

"While the other scientists mourned over the failure, one of them got to thinking about the _process_. The steps they took when they created that... _thing_, they had called it, and realized that the experiment lacked stability. There were too many forces working against the intricate design that they had studied."

"So what did that scientist do?"

"Well, Ryou, he spoke up. When he got the others to listen, he had persuaded them enough to let him tamper with the procedure a bit, and with the new modifications weeks later, they tried again. This time, the results were better.

"The subject didn't die. In fact, it didn't do anything. It was nothing more than a puppet with fake flesh. The scientist had once more began thinking what had gone wrong, and when it hit him, he tried telling the others. Unfortunately for him, the other scientists had blown him off. They believed that he was nothing more than a loon."

"Yeah. A loon that took their good results a step further. Closer to creating actual life than they had ever gotten."

"That's right, Kashikoi. But the others didn't seem to care. They had decided to ignore him, but the scientist wasn't deterred. He kept researching, finding new ways to make the procedure better, more efficient. And the next time he ran the tests, once he found out what the missing component was, he did it."

"Did it?" Nagoyaka repeated.

His father nodded. "And you know what the missing component was?" He chuckled when he saw the children shake their heads. "An _actual_ human being. Sort of like a trade-off of life."

The children remained attentive. Their favorite part of the story was nearing, and it made them anxious in its wake.

"The others couldn't believe their eyes," he continued. "It turned out that the fool was more of a genius than they had ever comprehended. When they asked how he had done it, he said it was simple.

"All he had to do was get two identical tubes, intricately connect them, and fill them both with this strange green liquid. Then, he put the mindless subject from before into one of them, while he had some men grab an unsuspecting male off of the street and had him occupy the other. While the process took about two years to complete, the mindless doll was real enough to be human."

"'Real enough'? Dad, I thought you said that he _was_ human."

"Don't worry, Kashikoi. I'm getting there." The other two kids laughed at their sister's outburst. "Anyway, he had begun testing the limit of the life he had created. That was when things got interesting.

"About six months into the boy's 'training', the scientist had made a shocking discovery: the being he thought he had created that 'mimicked' a real human being, was one. He bled, ran out of breath, had feelings. Upon closer inspection, he had found that the boy had actual organs. A beating heart, breathing lungs. This shocked him beyond all comprehension.

"He had wondered what had happened during the year long procedure, then he came to one conclusion: the human he had used to fused with the past failure had somehow passed its body to the doll. No trace was left of the other human, just his empty body. The doll had a personality of its own, something that had intrigued the scientist.

"He then began to notice that the boy had no real determination, and his eyes were dead. He had assumed that the boy needed some sort of goal, a reason to live, so to speak. So he gave him one.

"'Live for me, boy,' he said. 'Protect me with your very life. For if word got out that you are truly human, they would come and find me'." He paused for a bit. "So, the man took the boy under his wing and taught him the basic principles of living. He didn't treat the boy as a tool or slave, but as a son, or someone closer to him than any other before.

"On the boy's birthday, or the day he had been created, he decided to give him a name. Do you guys remember what it is?"

"Naruto!" The kids said in unison.

"Yes. The man supposed that Naruto was around 25, for he took the other human's age and physical appearance. The two grew very close, until their peaceful life was shattered. His life was threatened, and he panicked when he realized that Naruto would save him, for it was his only purpose for living. Before his death, the scientist had trapped the boy in a freeze capsule, sort like a time capsule, preserving him until he was to be released.

"Now children, this is where that _real_ story begins. Are you ready?"

The children nodded eagerly. "The story of how Uchiha Sasuke, you, Dad, had found the frozen man, and lived happily-ever-after until Naruto passed away... or, should I say, Mom." Kashikoi stated.

Sasuke laughed. "My, my. The drama in that speech."

Ryou looked up at his father and said, "I still want to know how he had us."

"Had you?" Sasuke repeated.

Ryou nodded. "Gave birth to us, Dad. He took the other guy's body right? So that means he shouldn't have been able to--"

"I didn't say that the procedure went off without a hitch. Now be good and enjoy the story you three obviously can't get enough of."

--

_As the war of a lifetime raged on, an entire land was put on the line. Its citizens did all they could to survive, hoping that soon, their efforts would pay off. The children lived on in constant fear, wondering if the chaos would ever cease. The adults, however, have given up hope... knowing that peace was far beyond there reach now...  
_

_Seidai, year 3012; Fall  
_

"Yo, Sasuke! Get yer ass over here!"

"Don't be so loud, Kiba. I'm right here." Walking over to said man, he glanced at the officer before him, wearing a black police uniform, a mask, and an eye patch. "Who's this?"

"I am officer Hatake Kakashi of Division Four. I hear there's been some disturbance around here." The man glanced around the place.

It was an absolute dump. Literally. Since Seidai was in a time of war, it was to be suspected. Ever since the ruler had been assassinated, the region went into an uproar. Many citizens started rebellions, while most of them were killed off. The once prosperous land was trying its best to stay on its feet, fending off the strong enemy that faced them.

"What would an officer want at a refuge spot?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm just trying to help keep the peace. Seidai is in enough trouble as it is. We don't need whatever loyal inhabitants it has making fools of themselves and causing more chaos."

"We're living in a war zone, man. Chaos is all we're faced with." Kiba sighed. "You don't have any idea how hard it is comforting my daughter in the middle of the night because she thinks she's gonna be killed before dawn comes. Not to mention that my wife faces illness. I don't wanna have to lose her, too. I've lost enough people close to me."

"Kiba," Sasuke started, elbowing the man in his side, "speaking of your wife, you should see if Hinata needs anything."

Kiba nodded and ran off. Kakashi remained, though, and was staring at Sasuke intently.

"What do you want officer?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"Would you by any chance have any identification on you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, pulling out his card from his back pocked. He handed it over. "What would you need it for? As far as I know, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Uchiha Sasuke. Age 27, citizen of Seidai, lower class." He handed the card back to Sasuke. "Lower class, huh? Not exactly something one would expect from an Uchiha."

"I don't really care about my lineage anymore, not that it's any of your business. Is there anything else you needed?"

"Not really." Kakashi glanced at the rest of the refugees. "I think I'm just going to scout the area a bit more, just to make sure that everything is as it should be."

"Well, _officer_, things will never be as they should be with this war. Even you should know that." With nothing else to say, he headed toward Kiba inside the food tent, who was handing over his bowl to Hinata.

"No, K-Kiba. You need to eat, t-too." Hinata said weakly.

"Ah, I'll be okay until tomorrow. You, on the other hand, need all the nourishment you can get."

Once Sasuke had returned from the line and sat with them, Hinata's bowl was empty, along with the one she had received from Kiba. He glanced down at his own. He wasn't all too hungry, and he agreed when Kiba said Hinata needed all that she could get. He took a few bites and handed his to Hinata as well.

"I can tell that you're still hungry," he said. "I'm not that hungry tonight."

Hinata nodded and Kiba thanked him whole-heartily. Sasuke then looked up at the sky. Night was quickly on its way, and tonight would be chilly. Colder than it had been for the past few nights. He glanced over at Kiba, his seven-year-old daughter on his lap while holding Hinata's hand protectively as she ate.

At times, Sasuke would envy him. He had a family, something to come home to. And while they welcomed him as part of that family, he knew it wouldn't be the same. He wondered if there was anyone out there he could love, or at least hold on to. Though Sasuke knew that that was nearly impossible for him.

The people of Seidai once looked up to the Uchiha, until they learned that the head family had tight connections with the enemy. Since then, even though Sasuke was and always had been loyal to Seidai, most people looked at him with a hint of hate in their eyes. If he were to find love, it would never be here.

He had learned to live with that simple fact, even if Kiba had always told him otherwise. Kiba was never truly alone like Sasuke was. And with a family, he never would be.

When they all settled in for bed that night, Kiba sharing a blanket with Hinata and Sasuke sharing one with their daughter to keep her warm, Sasuke had dreamed strangely that night. In that dream, he was staring into blue, emotionless eyes. Ones that were confused and hinted with fear. Then the boy had hugged him, and before Sasuke knew it, it was day once more.

--

"Are you sure that you found something of value around his area?" Sasuke questioned Kiba, scanning their surroundings carefully.

Kiba had led them into a cave. Surprisingly it wasn't dark, like he would imagine a cave to be. The faint sound of dropping water was present, along with an eerie aura that didn't seem to bug Kiba at all.

"Yeah. I was around here yesterday, before that officer shown up. I caught a glimpse of it, and whatever it is, it's real shiny, meaning it must be something that would sell for a really good price."

"What would you possibly buy with that money if we ever find this damn thing?"

"Medicine. I was gonna ask this healer down the road if she could brew something up for Hinata, before she gets worse. I'm thinking that if we catch her illness while its not too harmful to her, then maybe we can cure what she has. I dunno."

"Kiba, the things you do for that woman." Sasuke noticed that Kiba had abruptly stopped, causing Sasuke to bump into him. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Kiba pointed off into the distance. "You see that shine over there? Were almost to it."

It took about ten minutes to maneuver through the cave, but they reach their destination. Sasuke's eyes landed on the object Kiba had pointed out, and his eyes momentarily widened.

"Do... Do you have any idea what this thing is, Kiba?" Sasuke said.

Kiba shook his head. "Nope. I just thought it was junk. Do ya think it'd sell well?"

"Sell well? This thing is a freeze capsule, Inuzuka."

"What the hell is a 'freeze capsule'?"

Sasuke slapped his forehead and sighed. "You're an idiot, Kiba. A freeze capsule preserves something so that it can be used for later purposes. Say for instance you put a... what would you put in here?"

"A live dog." Kiba said, naming the first thing that came into his mind.

"If you put a live dog in this thing, and you opened it... let's say ten years later, that dog will come out alive and kicking, almost as if ten years hadn't passed at all."

Kiba jumped in fascination. "Think of all the money, man! Hinata will be healthy in no time!"

While Kiba celebrated his good fortune, Sasuke crouched down to inspect the capsule. It was terribly old, and was almost reduced to a dark muggy color. Apparently it landed in the cave during some sort of bombing. There was no way that it belonged in here. Upon closer inspection, Sasuke noted the faint inscription that read:

_'Madara, number K2, N.A.R.U.T.O., year 0012'_

_Year 0012? _Sasuke thought. _3,000 years ago? What the hell is it doing here?_

"Kiba." Sasuke said, halting Kiba's excitement. "Help me flip this thing over. Just in case something is in it."

"In it? What would be in it?"

"I don't know!" Sasuke snapped in frustration, moving to one end of the capsule. "That's what we are about to find out."

With some brute force, Sasuke and Kiba were finally able to turn the object over. Wiping the glass with is sleeve, Sasuke managed to glimpse a hand.

"… Someone's in here, Kiba," he said slowly.

Kiba's eyes widened in fear. "_Someone_?! Shit, dude! What the hell are we going to do?" He yelled.

"Calm down. Help me pry this thing open."

Kiba shook his head and stepped back. "No way. I'm not going near that thing!"

"Fuck, Kiba. Nevermind. I'll open the damn thing myself." Sasuke pulled at the door of the capsule, but it wouldn't budge. "I can't do this alone!"

"Fine!" Kiba yelled out of frustration and fear.

It took almost an hour of constant pulling when the the door had finally opened. A blast of below freezing air slapped them in the face as they jumped back, watching the capsule closely as it opened.

The hand Sasuke had seen earlier was slowly gripping the edge, then he saw a flash of blond hair. The man stood out of the capsule, but tripped and landed on his face due to loss of balance. Kiba stared on in shock, wondering what the hell was happening. Sasuke, on the other hand, slowly crawled over to the fallen figure.

The blond boy slowly lifted his head off of the ground, staring at Sasuke is disbelief.

"Ma... Madara?" The boy said cautiously.

"Who?" Sasuke asked. Before he knew what hit him, the mysterious boy had glomped him, shouting, "Madara!!"

Sasuke managed the push the blond boy off of him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

The boy looked at him curiously. "You're... You're not Madara?"

"No. I don't even know who that man is. I've never heard of him before!" Sasuke snapped.

"But you look like him--"

"Look, you must be severely confused. My name's _Sasuke_, not Madara."

"I see," the boy said blankly, eyes growing dull. "He must have thrown me in the capsule before they..." He stopped.

Kiba had finally found his voice and said, "Sasuke, man, we're totally screwed."

--

_Notes: I edited this chapter a bit. Fixed grammatical errors, added/changed sentences. Nothing major._

_Kiba's daughter's age has changed from three to seven._


	2. Getting To Know You

**Warnings: **_None._

**Disclaimer: **_Naruto _and characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and _Shonen Jump_

--

**C. Two;**

_Getting To Know You  
_

_Seidai; Refugee Camp  
_

_At first I didn't know what to think. Just mysteriously finding that damn capsule in a cave with a human in it. My first instinct was to not believe my eyes, but how stupid would that have been? The boy was real, by all means. You could touch him and your hand wouldn't go through him, and he sure as hell didn't levitate like Kiba said he might (I guess his mind is stuck on the conclusion that the boy is some sort of ghost)._

_Either way, I feel that I must protect this boy. What propels me to thinking that I have no idea. And lately my dreams have kept me awake. I keep imagining this laboratory, and that boy in this tube. I don't even want to know what that strange green liquid was that was surrounding him... it gives me chills just thinking about it._

_I fought against my conscience, and ended up bringing him back to the camp. I knew that I couldn't just leave him there. Besides, something tells me that this guy has something to hide, and maybe if I get on his good side, I can get some answers out of him._

_-- Sasuke_

"My, Kiba. What a story." Hinata said, sitting inside the food tent where it was warm.

Kiba and Sasuke didn't get back until around midnight, and everyone there was far from sleeping. There was news going around that another bombing raid may occur again during the night, making most of the people restless and even afraid to sleep. The night was getting bitterly cold.

"It's not a story, Hinata! I'm serious!" Kiba insisted.

"Kiba. How do you expect me to believe that the man next to Sasuke came from some time capsule in a nearby cave?" She coughed a little, Kiba rushing to her side. "Don't worry, Kiba. The cold is getting to me a bit." Hinata turned to Sasuke. "Do you believe his story, too?"

Sasuke sighed. "As far-fetched as it sounds, Hinata, Kiba's right. The thing we found in that cave was something that was mainly used to preserve things during times of war. Such as if a soldier were to lose his leg during battle, they'd stuff it in there and take it out later for when they re-attached it. In this case, someone must have pushed him into it, and either forgot about it, or wanted him out of the way."

"That's not it," the blond boy said. "He didn't forget about me. Nor did he push me away. He did it to save my life."

The three stared at him. Hinata coughed a bit more. "W-Who? If you don't mind my asking..."

The boy focused his dull eyes on the full moon. "My only friend, I guess you could say."

"So," she started, unsure, "if their story is true, and you're really from the year 0012, what are you going to do? Waking up 3,000 years from your time must be really hard."

The boy didn't reply. What did they expect him to say? Never in a million years did he think that Madara would just carelessly lock him in that prison, when he knew that he would've fought to save him. Now, he has to try finding a new purpose for living, less it tear him apart. But what could he possibly live for in a place like this? A _time_ like this?

"C'mon, Hinata. He must be kinda tired. Not to mention really confused. Let's just leave him alone for a while." Kiba took Hinata's hand and helped her stand. "Sasuke, I'm gonna help Hinata get washed up. Can you watch after Kawatta for us?"

Sasuke nodded and watched them walk off to the nearby stream. He motioned the stranger to follow him by the river to sit.

"Kawatta?" The boy questioned.

"It means 'different'," he informed, placing the young child on his lap. "She's blind."

"Ah... I see."

"Hinata had point. What _are _you going to do now?" Sasuke gently ran his hand through Kawatta's hair.

"I don't know. What _is _clear to me is that I need to find a reason to live, and fast. I can't go on without a purpose."

"Why's that?"

The boy shrugged. "Back then, I lived for my master, Madara. He said that since he gave me life, I should protect him with it. That is part of the reason why I am confused. It is not like him to act hastily like that. I understand the will to protect another's life, but didn't he say that I..." He stopped.

Sasuke just stared at him. No matter how dead the boy's eyes looked, there was no way to mistake the pure confusion in them. But he just sat and listened instead of commenting. Sometimes it was best that way.

"And now, I'm angry because I don't fully understand _what _confusion is!"

"What's your name, anyway? You know mine."

"... He named me Naruto." He said.

"Do you have a last name?"

" I don't know. Did he give me one?" Naruto pondered to himself.

"Well, what would you want your last name to be?" Sasuke asked.

"... Uzumaki."

"Why that?"

"Because!" For the first time that night, Naruto smiled. "They go together!"

"You know," Sasuke said, chuckling lightly, "you sure are a wonder. One moment you're this void person, and now you're all happy."

"I know. It's a defect."

Sasuke rose an eyebrow at Naruto's choice of words. _Something about him is a little too different..._

Shrugging the idea off, he yawned. "Man, what I wouldn't do for a nice bed."

_What is it about his guy? He looks so much like Madara-sama, yet is so... different. _Naruto sneezed out of the blue. "Stupid dust," he mumbled.

They sat in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say, or if they should say anything. Sasuke found himself growing more and more curious about Naruto. Things like, 'Why was he trapped in that capsule?' and 'What did he mean by defect? What's he rambling about?' Somehow, Sasuke just couldn't find a way to start asking those questions, and maybe Naruto wouldn't even answer them.

"What was it like 3,000 years ago?" Sasuke asked instead.

"It was a dark time," Naruto started. "I was around for about five years before my master was attacked. I remember him educating me about laws and such, and that you couldn't trust anyone back then. He had said that the region was growing increasingly evil and its people power hungry. All they wanted was to play God, I guess. From what he told me, the world was a terrible place to be apart of; especially here in Seidai. I never really understood or comprehended most of what he told me. I was in my early stages of learning."

_Early stages? Man, this guy sure knows how to confuse you. _"Was your 'master' a good man?"

Naruto nodded. "Very much so. Although he was very, very strict when I first met him, he treated me like I belonged in society... like I had a place. He was kind to me, but was cold at the same time. He wanted me to learn discipline. He had said that if he was kind to me all of the time, that I'd grow soft, and he wouldn't have that. I had to be strong. Strong enough to protect him when he needed me to." Naruto paused and turned to Sasuke, looking at him with confused eyes. "What about you? I don't know you at all!"

"There's not much to tell—"

"Sure there is!" Naruto cut in. "Everyone has a story. Like... where and when you were born, or-or how old you are. Your parents, favorite foods, color, animal--"

Sasuke put his hand over the blond's mouth. "I get it." He put his hand back at his side. "I was born here, I'm 27, my parents passed away when I was eight, my brother passed away when I was 17, I like onigiri and tomatoes, my favorite color is..." Sasuke looked into Naruto eyes and smiled a bit, "blue, and I believe I don't have a favorite animal. There aren't much around anymore."

Naruto smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard!" He heard Sasuke 'hn' under his breath.

_I kinda like Sasuke, _Naruto thought. _He's been nice to me so far, and hasn't looked down on me like he's more superior... and he even has the same aura as Madara. The only thing that gets me is this fuzzy feeling in my chest. Hmm..._

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "What does it mean when you get this fuzzy feeling in your chest around someone?"

The raven took a second to think. "Well... it could mean you like them, or perhaps feel safe and comfortable with them. I'm not too good at feelings."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "I'm not good with them either..."

_It could mean that you like them. I just met Sasuke, so that's out of the question. I probably feel this way because he reminds me of Madara. So it's gotta mean that I feel comfortable around him. Yeah... that's it. Comfortable._

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when Sasuke sighed.

"It appears that the raiding notice was false."

Naruto scanned Sasuke face, catching the evident exhaustion in the boy's eyes. It made him feel a bit uneasy seeing Sasuke in that state. He didn't know why. "Hey... Sasuke. You should get some sleep. I can look after Kawatta for a bit. They should be coming back soon anyway."

"What's got you worried about me all of the sudden?"

It was Naruto's turn to sigh, but his born out of frustration. "Because! You're my friend! And friends look after each other!"

Sasuke looked a bit shocked at Naruto's rant, but nonetheless handed the little girl over. "Watch over her with your life until they get back, you hear?"

Naruto nodded, smiling a bit at the somewhat familiar command. "With my life, Sasuke. Promise."

Sasuke moved from his sitting position on the grass to lay on his back, with his arms behind his head, and doze off. Naruto sat with Kawatta on his lap, playing with her hair, gazing at the beautiful stars.

--

_Sorry for the shortness. Changed some grammar/sentences but nothing too major._

_Meanings:_

_C. One (Please tell me if they are incorrect.);_

_Kashikoi means 'Wise'._

_Nagoyaka means 'Gentle'._

_Ryou means 'Endure'._

_C. Two;_

_Kawatta means 'Different'._


	3. Learning New Things

**Warnings: **_Small, somewhat limey scene between Kiba and Hinata._

--

**C. Three;**

_Learning new things..._

_Seidai_

_I had learned a lot about Sasuke-san last night. He was honest and direct with all of my questions, and it was so easy to talk to him. He still reminds me a lot of Madara-sama, and even has the same aura around him, but there's something that sets the two apart. Sasuke-san is pretty open from my point of view, while Madara-sama always kept to himself. It was rare if you ever saw him outside of his study, or talking with his friends about things he had told me to never ask of._

_As interesting as I find Sasuke-san, what's more intriguing is the gadget-thingies they have. They are all so shiny and odd looking. While I was part of the world, I had never seen anything like them. I am aware of the gazes I get from the refugees when I ask about them. It's not my fault that my master trapped me and I was doomed to start life anew in the year 3012!_

_-- Naruto_

It was a sunny day. And, for the first time in a few months, it was truly peaceful. The people could relax and enjoy being alive... without the fear of being killed. Days like these made officer Hatake's job a whole lot easier.

His rounds today would be quick, and hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with juveniles. He wanted to finish work as soon as possible, that way he would have time to go back to that refuge camp by the river. There had been rumors about a strange boy that had arrived not too long ago, and that he was a total nut case. Kakashi's main goal was to get to the boy before any other officers did. It would go well on his reputation.

While the officer was focusing on how the boy would benefit his career, Sasuke was trying to keep him out of trouble.

Honestly, the guy wasn't around for a week and was already causing trouble. It was like everywhere Naruto went, fights would start (which meant Sasuke was busting his back trying to keep some sort of peace). He knew that he couldn't blame Naruto completely, for he knew the people at the camp too well to know that they can never keep their mouths shut and their opinions to themselves. Despite that, Sasuke knew that he'd end up being the one to teach the blond some manners.

So, in order to talk to Naruto about the camp and its people (along with how to act and keep cool), he invited him to take a walk along the river. Naruto was hesitant at first, which confused Sasuke, but ended up smiling and dragged the poor man to the beautiful blue waters.

"So..." Sasuke felt a bit odd trying to start conversation with the boy. He was never one to socialize with people, and had no experience in dealing with them in general. He usually had Kiba do all the talking.

"Hey, did ya see that small box in the tent? The one with sound coming out of it?" When Naruto saw Sasuke nod, he continued, "What's it called?"

Sasuke stared at the younger male for a moment before answering, "A radio. What, you didn't have those in 0012?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. We didn't have half of the stuff you guys have around here. I mean, sure we had some machines and gizmo's and TVs and other technical stuff, but nothing as cool as that! And the TVs didn't even have sound!" Naruto paused. "Well, back then, it didn't really matter to me if the TVs had sound or not."

"Oh really? Why's that?"

"Um, don't think this is stupid but... I always found that doing your own sound effects was cooler than other people doing them. I used to pass the time when Madara-sama was studying or talking with people by just sitting in front of it while a movie was playing and just..."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto when he stopped. "I see. Hey, how about we go to a nearby waterfall? Have you seen one before?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke and blinked a few times. "What's a waterfall?"

--

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, running to the bank of the small pond at the base of the fall. He sat and placed his feet in the water and smiled. "It's so pretty, Sasuke-san! I've never seen anything like this!"

"You haven't?" Sasuke asked, sitting next to him. "This is where Kiba proposed to Hinata, and where I normally go when I want some time away from the camp. It's peaceful here, and its beauty hasn't been tarnished by bombs or other happenings of war."

Naruto closed his eyes and listened to the rushing water ahead, along with the songs of the birds and insects. This place was unlike anything he had ever seen. The fall flowers were in bloom, and the golden-brown hues of the leaves adding to its majesty. It was utterly breathtaking. And for Sasuke to bring him here...

In the deep recesses of his mind, Sasuke was struggling against wanting to ask about Naruto's supposed 'master'. He didn't know whether or not the boy wanted to be drilled about the man, or if the memory of no longer being around him hurt too much. Sasuke knows for a fact that whenever his family or brother is brought up, there's this flicker of anger and annoyance that builds within him, mainly because whoever brings them up has no business knowing. And this is also how Sasuke feels about asking Naruto such a personal question, and expecting him to answer him. But maybe...

"Naruto," Sasuke started shakily. "If I asked, would you tell me about this man you speak frequently of?"

Naruto hesitated. Would he want to tell Sasuke about such a major part of his past? Furthermore, would he want Sasuke knowing _what _he is? The man next to him was the only one to be patient with him, so maybe Sasuke would understand instead of run away. Either way, he decided he'd tell Sasuke about his master, but no more than that. Not this soon anyway.

"My master? He's... kind of like my father. Or, at least, that's what he tells me. You see, my maser isn't very open. He hates people trying to always pry their way into his business and privacy. He often told me that most people can't be trusted because they have a strong sense of curiosity. 'Never put your trust in them, Naruto,' he'd say. I guess you can say that he kept to himself and was often very strict."

"What did he look like?"

Naruto looked up in thought. "Hmm... let's see. Well, he had your color hair, and it was about to his lower back in length, if not longer. He was kinda muscular, 'cause he was picky about being in shape. He'd normally wear black, but I never saw much of him because he'd lock himself away in his study. Oh! And his eyes... they were kinda creepy." Naruto glanced at Sasuke before continuing, "They were red." Naruto didn't see Sasuke's eyes widen. "They were so... alluring, and he could change how people behaved and reacted with a single glance. I always thought it was kinda cool..."

"Cool?" Sasuke said, his voice devoid of emotion. He missed Naruto's flinch. "They are far from. They are deadly."

"D-Deadly?"

Sasuke continued as if Naruto hadn't spoken, "A curse placed on my family long, long ago." He ran a hand through his hair. "If I'm correct, this master of yours, Madara, was an Uchiha."

"Sasuke, why--"

"How would the people react once he glanced at them?" The raven haired man interrupted.

"They... They'd be perfectly fine one minute, and then ma- Madara would lock gazes with them, and then they'd normally blank out for a second before going crazy. Some would scream as if they were being tortured, and most never acted the same once they calmed down. They'd act so... it was as if they were walking zombies, and they'd be terrified of Madara-sama and would do anything they could to avoid him." He paused. "Do... Do you know about it?"

"Naruto... tell me. Did his eyes look sort of like this?"

Naruto gazed into the now red eyes of Sasuke and inched away a bit. His eyes had a sinister aura to them, but not as fierce and overwhelming as Madara's. Sasuke's eyes were a bit different than his old master's; his eyes had three prongs that surrounded the pupil. Naruto had never studied Madara's eyes, but he knew that they had a different style to them, if only by a little.

The Uchiha had noticed Naruto's hesitation, as well as the distance the blond put between them. He closed his eyes, slowly reopening them to show their original onyx color. "I'm guessing they are familiar to you, if you moving away from me in fear is any indication."

"S-Sasuke, I... I wasn't backing away in fear... I just..." No matter what excuse Naruto could think of, something told him that Sasuke would see right through it.

Naruto felt horrible about his reaction, and the saddened tone in Sasuke's voice. He didn't mean to back away... it was instinct. Naruto had come to assume that those eyes brought nothing but pain and suffering to those it had been shown to, and he was worried that what had happened to the men would happen to him. His mind was screwed up enough as it was.

Sasuke sighed at the silence. "Don't worry about it. I don't... I don't blame you for your reaction. But you should know that I'm not my ancestor, and I'd never use this curse on those who truly, _truly_ didn't deserve it. Besides," he rubbed his eyes a little, "these damn things give me a headache."

Relaxing himself a bit, Naruto scooted close to Sasuke. "I really am sorry, Sasuke. Instinct got the best of me. Will you... will you forgive me?"

Sasuke smiled softly. "You don't need to ask for forgiveness, Naruto. You did nothing wrong. I remember the first time I saw them. My reaction was similar to your first time; I thought they were cool as hell. But opinions change as soon as you witness what these cursed things are capable of."

Naruto glanced at the small distance between them and grew a bit bold by closing it, touching his shoulder with Sasuke's. "You wanna know something, Sasuke-san?" Naruto asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The blond boy grinned. "I like your onyx eyes better. They're brighter, and that makes me happy."

"Happy? How so?"

"When you are happy," Naruto started, "I find myself being happy, too."

Sasuke stared at Naruto before chuckling, "Idiot."

--

When the two returned to the camp, it was nighttime. The sky was shrouded with beautiful stars, and all seemed at peace. Sasuke had told Naruto that they should return before dinner ran out, and Naruto's stomach churned in delight.

"Sasuke-san, where is your friend? The one with the daughter and wife?" Naruto asked, sitting outside of the tent with said man, and finished the remains of his meal.

Sasuke shrugged. "They've got to be around here somewhere. Kawatta's inside sleeping. Knowing Kiba, he'd never leave her alone for an hour at the max."

"Do you want me to look for him? That way you could stay here and watch their daughter in case something happens."

"Do you know the way around this place?"

Naruto laughed at the worry in his friend's tone. "If you mean to ask if I'll know my way back, then yes. I won't go that far. I don't want them out there with the possibility of getting hurt."

"... Hurry back." As Naruto started walking away, Sasuke added, "I mean it, dobe!"

--

Naruto had been searching for about ten minutes and had yet to find Sasuke's friend (_I think his name was Kiba, if I heard Sasuke-san right.) _and his wife. He had asked a group of boys, around seventeen Naruto assumed, and they had pointed to one of the lone tents that bordered the forest. The blond was skeptical at first, but then saw candlelight and the familiar shape of the man in question (_It's Kiba! Got to remember that!_). There was also another shadow in the tent with him, which Naruto assumed was Kiba's wife.

He walked closer, and began hearing soft, muffled noises. As he got closer, the muffled noises turned to very ragged pants and grunts. Naruto's first thought was, _Is something wrong with them? Are they hurt? _But as soon as Naruto approached the entrance of the tent and peered through the small opening in the flap, his eyes widened as his stomach churned.

The pair were meshed together, a thin sheet of sweat covering them. Kiba was running his hands over Hinata in a frenzied pace, and she was running her hands over his lower backside (which, by the way, made Naruto cringe a bit). She was whispering something to him, something about her not going anywhere, but he ignored her and continued his quickened pace.

Naruto's eyes caught the whole scene, from top to bottom, and was the only witness to their unfamiliar dance. A strange feeling started bubbling in his chest as his heart sunk, automatically noticing the love between them, no matter how untamed the movements of their bodies. He caught himself wondering how it would feel if he were to be loved so purely like that, and how he would feel under another's touch. He shook the thought away. _Who would ever fall in love with me?_

He turned and ran and prayed that he remembered the way back to Sasuke. Meanwhile, Hinata glanced at the retreating shadow, feeling somewhat guilty in being caught in a situation like that.

--

Sasuke was barely keeping himself awake when Naruto came back and plopped himself as close to Sasuke as he could, searching for some of the man's warmth.

The Uchiha noted how depressed the boy had become. "What's wrong? Did you find them?"

Naruto remained silent. Too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge that Sasuke was talking to him.

"Dobe," Sasuke said more firmly.

Said blond slowly turned his attention to Sasuke, and the sinking feeling from earlier returned. "I'm fine. And yes, I found them."

"Where are they?"

"... In a tent together."

Sasuke shot up to a sitting position. "What did you see?"

Naruto drew in a shaky breath. "They were... I'm not sure what to call it, but they were together, and they _moved _together so... so..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I swear. Letting themselves get caught like that so easily--"

"Sasuke... have you ever been like that with someone?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a soft expression. "No. Why do you ask?"

"I just..." Naruto's eyes glazed over with moisture. "I'm so confused. From where I stood, it looked like he was trying to hurt her. But when I took a good look at her face, she looked like she..." He couldn't finish.

"Why are you crying, Naruto?" Sasuke asked softly.

"It makes me... envious? Yes, envious."

"Why?"

"Because I know that for as long as I live, no one could possibly look at me with that much love and sincerity in their eyes. And I'm jealous because of it. I'm _curious_ to know how it feels to be loved and touched like that, and it confuses me because I don't know why I want such things, and more so who I'd want it from."

"I suppose it's natural for one to feel that way. And I wouldn't count yourself out so fast."

Naruto flashed a look of disbelief at Sasuke. "Who could ever possibly fall in love with me?"

"You'll be surprised in who you attract, dobe. You're a very lovable person." Sasuke eased himself back into a laying position, a content warmth spreading through him at Naruto's smile. "Don't worry about it. It'll come to you eventually, as will the person you're meant to be with. And Kiba's so going to get it when I see him tomorrow."

As Sasuke fell asleep, Naruto gazed at him admiringly. _For him to call me attractive, lovable, and worth it..., _Naruto thought. _I surely wouldn't mind falling in love with him. And it'd wouldn't be all too bad if Sasuke fell in love with me, no matter how impossible that seems._

_--_

_Changed some grammar mistakes._


	4. A, I, and B

**Warnings: **_None._

--

**C. Four;**

_Apologies, Introductions, and Bombs_

_Seidai_

_I was upset, disappointed in myself. To see that blond boy standing by the entrance of the tent with a... desperate? lonely? sorrowful look in his eyes. I couldn't tell Kiba. Kiba would be outraged to know that he had just stood there and invaded our privacy... but I know that the boy didn't do it on purpose. I know he was probably... worried? About me? Yes... I saw worry in his eyes as well. Poor boy._

_-- Hinata_

"You're a pig." Sasuke said dully.

Kiba glared at the man, trying to understand where that had come from. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Getting yourself caught with Hinata like that. You're smarter than that, Kiba."

"Come on, Sasuke. Like I knew he was going to walk by--"

Sasuke snorted, "You could have at least blown out the candle."

At that, Kiba stopped altogether. He was angry at the fact that Naruto had spied on them, especially when they were involved in something so personal. He kept asking himself why he would do that, but then again, Sasuke had a point. He was usually really careful about things like that. But then again, he hadn't had the time to worry about it. IT just... happened.

"I know, I know. But Hinata just got into so quickly, and I had no other choice. When would the next opportunity come along? Besides, man, that guy should have known what we were doing."

Sasuke shook his head. "Apparently he didn't. And don't go pushing the blame on him, either."

Kiba shot Sasuke a look of disbelief and yelled, "Since when did you care? Last I knew you didn't want anything to do with anybody! So since this guy has come along, you're gonna automatically take his side?"

Sasuke lowered his gaze to the ground. "It's not like I don't have a clue how or who he is. I know him more than you do. And I'm not just automatically taking his side. Trust me when I say he had no idea what was going on between you, because the look in his eyes when he told me about it was unmistakable."

"But dude--"

"Sasuke?"

Both men turned their attention to Hinata, who was holding Kawatta's hand. She didn't meet Sasuke's eyes, and hers held a hint of guilt. Kiba huffed at it. As far as he knew, they had no reason to be guilty about what happened last night.

"I... I wanted to talk to you... about what happened with Naruto last night," she started when no one answered her. "I... I'm sorry."

"Hinata, you don't have to--"

"We do, Kiba." Hinata said, cutting her husband off. "The look in Naruto-kun's eyes that you spoke of... I saw it, too. It... It nearly broke my heart. His eyes were so, so lonely..." She looked up at Sasuke. "I knew Kiba would get mad that he was standing there, but I know that he didn't mean to. It looked like he was frozen. It truly looked like he had no idea what was going on."

Kiba frowned. "Who doesn't? I don't see why we have to be at fault. Why did he even go looking for us?"

"He was worried about you two. After all, we're the only friends he has." Sasuke pointed out. "I had half a mind to say no, that you guys were fine, but then I knew he'd only fight me about it. You should feel grateful that he even cares."

Kiba shook his head as Hinata continued, "Kiba... we should apologize to Naruto-kun, too."

Said man gaped at her. "What the hell?! You're against me, too?"

The woman sighed. "Please, Kiba. It'd make me feel better."

For a while, Kiba said nothing. _I shouldn't have to apologize to that little twit, _he thought. _And why the hell does Sasuke care about the guy so much? We just freaking met him!_

But no matter what he thought, he knew Hinata would probably slap him if he said no.

... She was scary like that sometimes.

--

Naruto's bright blue eyes stared up at Kiba in astonishment. "You're... apologizing to me?" He asked. "W... Why? You didn't do anything to me."

Kiba had decided to 'apologize' to Naruto as Hinata told him to. He had found the blond at the waterfall that he had proposed to Hinata at, sitting with his feet in the water. "I know I didn't," Kiba started, sitting with him. "But Hinata said that I should. She also said that it was... foolish of me to get caught."

"What... What you have with Hinata-chan," Naruto started shakily while fidgeting his fingers, "is it... is it nice?"

Kiba gave Naruto a really long look. What had possessed him to ask something like that? To hell that Kiba would ever tell the boy what goes on between him and Hinata--

"I understand if you think that I'm an idiot to ask. But-But the look that Hinata-chan gave you - w-when she told you she loved you, and you said it back – made me feel jealous."

The brunette absently coughed. "J-Jealous? Of who? Of... what?"

"Of... love? Yeah. It looked nice to be loved. That's why I asked if it was nice." Naruto's voice was a whisper now. He felt foolish spewing his thoughts to Kiba, but if the man was a friend of Sasuke's, then he could be trusted, right?

Kiba sighed, and when he found himself looking at Naruto again, he couldn't help the softening of his eyes. Naruto was so innocent, and he no longer doubted the boy's confusion. He had seen the look that both Hinata and Sasuke had spoken of earlier.

"It _is _nice, man," he finally answered. "It makes you feel like you're on top of the world."

They sat in silence for the rest of the morning, and Kiba didn't notice the wonder and sadness mixed in Naruto's eyes.

--

"Ah, late afternoon. My favorite time of the day!" Kakashi shouted, heading to the refugee camp.

Now that his patrolling rounds were done, he was able to investigate the rumor of the new stranger. After snooping around for a little information, he had found out that the boy was with the Uchiha he had ran into. Man, would it be loads easier to get close to the new guy.

It was around seven when Kakashi reached the camp. It was still a bit dirty, and he had caught on to the slight stench. The poor souls that have to live with this. Kakashi personally didn't like to deal with the villagers. They were always asking him about the war; when it will be over, who's causing it, why isn't he doing anything. It got on his nerves. After all, he wasn't the new ruler of the country (poor guy). He was just a small police/peace officer. Why couldn't they see that?

Not only do the villagers bug him with their useless questions, they think it's always about them. 'Why am I going through this?' and 'Why do they hate me? What the hell did I do?' Them, them, them. And it disgusted Kakashi. He had come from a middle-class family, worked hard to go to law school. At first, he wanted to be a lawyer. When that didn't turn out well, he sucked it up and became a police officer, like his father. He had pride.

Kakashi didn't doubt that most of the occupants of the camp came from pretty good backgrounds, and that most wasn't little spoiled princesses. So instead of pitying themselves, why couldn't they cling to what good dignity and pride they had left?

... Like the Uchihas. Oh, how Kakashi envied them. They were the third wealthiest family in Seidai, and when the region was attacked by war (causing them to be robbed out of a good 79-percent cut in their hard-earned wealth to support the country), they sucked it up and lived with what they had, and even tried to build up on it again, little by little. Then the massacre hit. Jealous, poor villagers in seek of their money and other belongings. They had killed them all, except for the two who had managed to escape.

Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. From what Kakashi knew, Itachi had raised his little brother since the massacre, and they were close. When the eldest Uchiha had fallen due to illness, Kakashi was the officer who had been assigned to keep a watchful secret eye on the young Uchiha heir afterward. Sasuke was too young to remember, and wouldn't believe Kakashi if he had told him. Sasuke was a good kid as far as Kakashi was concerned, and he fully deserved the Uchiha name, and wore it proudly.

When the officer had spotted the raven, at the camp, he had to do a double-take. Part of him felt relieved that the boy was alive and healthy, and checked his ID (he figured that with him being a descendant of the Uchiha clan, he'd have sense enough to carry an ID, just in case) to confirm it was the little boy he used to look after.

He walked around the camp for a while before spotting the Uchiha again, with a boy he hadn't seen before. _Could it be the new guy?_ Sasuke had spotted him, and Kakashi chuckled at his frown. He signaled the men over. The stranger had bright blond hair and amazing blue, _blue_ eyes. They were... breathtaking, even for Kakashi.

"Who's your new friend, Uchiha?" He asked teasingly.

Sasuke scoffed, "None of your damn business. Now what do you want this time? It's pretty peaceful around here."

Kakashi laughed. "I came for a little visit. I heard a rumor about a stranger who was a total nut case. Is it the blond by any chance?" Kakashi watched the boy, and felt a little guilty when he stiffened.

"Naruto is no moron. Don't even suggest it." Sasuke said, sparing a glance to the blond that was now clinging to his shoulder.

To be honest, Kakashi found it way too adorable. He couldn't help but to want to tease Sasuke a little more. He'd get the info about the blond soon enough, maybe even before he left. "So... you must be pretty close to him. Found someone to settle down with?"

Sasuke frowned. "No. He's a friend of mine."

Kakashi chuckled. "Right, Uchiha. Is he... your lover? Boyfriend, perhaps? If he's not your fiancé, then surely he's one of those."

Sighing, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "None of the above. Now go, officer. Every thing's fine here."

Kakashi cleared his throat, putting his officer mask on. "I needed to get some information on... Naruto was it? Just to be sure that he's no threat to us."

Naruto blinked a few times, his hold on Sasuke not loosening a bit. "A threat? What did I do now, Sasuke? Why does everyone always treat me like a disease?"

"I'm not saying you've done something wrong," the officer started. "I just need some basic information."

The blond swallowed. "O-Okay," he said shakily. Naruto didn't like the intimidating aura the man had swirling around him like smell. It worried him.

"Alright, Mister..."

"U-Uzumaki, sir."

"Ah, yes." Kakashi closed his eyes for second before reopening them. _I've got to clear my head. _"So Mr. Uzumaki... how old are you?"

Naruto hesitated. _H...How old am I? _"U-Um... around twenty-six?"

Raising an eyebrow at the boy's hesitation, he continued, "DOB?"

At this, Naruto blanked out. _I... I don't remember that! Okay, okay. Think back to when Madara-sama said happy birthday to you and taught you how to use the calender... Got it!_"October tenth."

The officer paused. "Place of origin?"

"Um... here?"

"Parents?"

"Don't have any."

"Siblings?"

"None."

"Lovers, anything of the such?"

"As if."

"... You do well under pressure, don't you?" Kakashi said with amusement in his voice.

Naruto smiled. "I guess. Easier than what I thought it'd be." Naruto paused for a moment. "So... am I okay? I mean, I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No," the officer noted with a smile of his own, though it went unseen under his mask. "But you're innocence amuses me so. We need more people like you."

Naruto blushed at the comment. Sure he had been praised before, but not so genuinely. It made him feel warm inside, as silly as that sounds.

The silence lasted for a few more minutes, and was abruptly ended by deafening screams. Naruto clung to Sasuke in a death grip and the raven looked around to see people running blindly and in a panic. Kakashi heard the distinct, though distant, sound of bombs, and his eyes grew wide.

They were under attack, and this time with no warning.

Sasuke had caught on as well, for he held the blond protectively now.

Naruto had no idea what was going on, and was scared out of his wits. "Sasuke," he mumbled, "what's going on?"

"We're being bombed, Naruto. We need to find shelter."

The blond flinched as he heard the bombs go off, along with the screams of the people. Then it hit him. "W-What about Kiba, Hina, and Kawatta?"

Sasuke shook his head. "They'll be okay. Right now we have to worry about ourselves." He turned to Kakashi. "Aren't you going to do you job, officer?"

When Kakashi didn't respond, Sasuke sighed. "Whatever. I'll do it." He released Naruto, earning a worried stare from him. "Naruto, go to the cave where we found you. You should be safe in there."

Naruto shook his head. "Not without you, Sasuke-san."

"Naruto," Sasuke said sternly. "Just go. I promise I'll be with you as soon as possible. Take the officer with you. Someone has to help the rest them find shelter, too. I've done it before, so just--"

Sasuke was cut off by another explosion, this one in clear sight. It had struck the tents, blowing people near them to bits, scattering them to places unknown. Naruto started to cry at the sight of death, and the thought that Sasuke was going to stay behind in it made it worse.

Regardless, Naruto sucked it up and nodded. He grabbed the officer's hand, dragging him to the direction of the cave, also praying that Sasuke returned to him in one piece.

--

Silence. Darkness. Naruto wasn't sure how long he and Kakashi had been hiding, but he was sure that it was nearing five or six hours, seven at most. Sasuke should have been back by now, and that of course scared Naruto, but he had to force himself to think on the bright side. Sasuke would come back to him. He would.

For now, Naruto would sleep. His eyelids grew heavy, and the blond noticed that the officer had already drifted off. _When I wake up, _Naruto thought, _Sasuke will be here. I know it._

And with that, he slept.

--

Sasuke's shoulder hurt like hell. It was burning, itchy, and he knew that if he lost any more blood, he'd more than likely pass out. He couldn't let that happen, for he had to make sure that Naruto was alive and okay. The boy was technically his responsibility, and he couldn't deny that his heart wanted him to be okay as well.

He had made it to the cave in one piece, and the first thing he saw was Naruto's sleeping figure. A wave of relief crashed over him, and he even allowed a small smile to grace his face. His eyes latched with Naruto's now open ones.

Tears had welled in the blond's eyes, and he ran to the raven, embracing him.

"What took you so long?!" The blond yelled.

Sasuke ignored the aching pain in his shoulder, thankful that Naruto couldn't see the extensive damage due to the dark. The moon was the only light source they had, and even that was scarce. "I'm sorry," he eventually said.

Naruto scrunched his nose at the smell of blood, and pulled back a bit. That was when he saw it. There was a huge gash in Sasuke's shoulder, and the blood had trailed down the raven's side. "Sasuke... what... what happened?" He whispered brokenly.

"I had an accident, that's all--"

"An accident?" Naruto nearly shouted. "You can die if it's not taken care of!"

Sasuke laughed softly. "Wake Kakashi. He should have some medical supplies on him. Hopefully the ones we'll need."

Naruto had caught the somewhat dead tone in his friend's voice. "What happened out there, Sasuke? Besides your shoulder. Did Kiba and the others make it okay?"

Sasuke tensed. "K... Kiba and Kawatta are... okay." He pulled Naruto closer to him, as close as he could. "But, Hinata... she..."

"She's not dead, is she?" When Sasuke didn't answer he started to panic, along with trying to break free of Sasuke's fierce hold on him. _It can't be! No!_

"Don't!" Sasuke shouted. Drawing his voice back to a calm whisper he added, "Don't pull away."

The blond sighed in defeat at Sasuke's tone. "How are you going to break it to Kiba?"

"... I don't know, Naruto," the raven whispered. "But for now, we have to take care of my shoulder."

Naruto nodded, and he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the man holding him, hoping that it's just what Sasuke needs from him right now.

--

_Fixed some grammar. Hopefully I got it all._


	5. Say It's Not True

**Warnings: **_Some angst._

--

**C. Five;**

_Say it's not true..._

_Seidai_

_I had thought that perhaps it was nothing but a joke. She couldn't have been gone. I stood there, frozen, knowing that I could have done something to save her. She told me to run, save her daughter because she had more to live for. And as she lay under the rubble, slowly slipping away, I knew I had to obey her. Something told me that she knew that even if I had managed to save her, she wouldn't have lived much longer. To her, leaving us then in a more acceptable manner than waiting in the dark for when her illness had truly gotten to her was fair. She could deal with that. For she was one of the strongest and most respectable people I have ever met._

-- _Sasuke  
_

Kakashi had noticed it the moment he had been dragged into the cave. It didn't take him more than an hour to pinpoint what it was. The only thing that had puzzled him was the question, "Why is it here?" So he had waited until the blond had fallen asleep to take a closer look.

While undergoing his officer training, they had taught a great deal about the past's technology, weaponry and such. One very touchy matter though was the preservation capsule. He had been taught that the capsules were created around the year 0012 by a group of inexperienced scientists who wanted to show the world what they were capable of. There were rumors going around that they were meant to be showcased instead of used, but the ex-head scientist that was put in charge of it's construction had taken one and hidden it away at his residence. They say he had tweaked it to where it's purpose could actually be taken advantange of. No one knows much after that, but it was also rumored that the man had locked his apprentice of sorts inside of it to save his life when he was attacked. Nothing was known about who the apprentice was, but it had to have been someone close enough to the man to save his life instead of his own.

Kakashi inspected the capsule as best as he could with what moonlight he was getting, and he managed to find its opening. It didn't surprise the officer that it was empty, but instead got an eerie feeling within the pit of his stomach. He kept wondering who had been in here, who had set this person free (if a human was in here at all), and where they were now. They were impossible questions to answer, he had settled.

Just as the blond boy began to stir, Kakashi caught sight of a folder. He reached in and grabbed it, noticing that the lettering on the cover was a language unknown to him. It was bulky, and Kakashi had battled with the idea of reading its contents right away. He glanced once more at Naruto and decided against it, not wanting to know what would happen if he had been caught with the folder in his hands. He stashed it in his pack, under all of his emergency supplies and quick snacks. He was just in time, for not a second later, Naruto had woken.

The boy looked around for a moment, his eyes dulling with disappointment. "Kakashi-san? You're awake?"

"I decided it was best to keep a good lookout for a little while," he lied. "And I wasn't sure if Sasuke would come back anytime soon or not."

"I hope... I hope he's okay and nothing happened to him. He should have been back by now..."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he's fine," he said, moving into a laying position. They had talked for a little bit longer before Kakashi had drifted back off to sleep, the dripping sounds from the cave his lullaby.

--

"We're going to have to get you professional medical treatment, Sasuke. What I have left is good enough for an hour, two at most."

Kakashi knew that was a lie. With his aid kit, the patch job he had done (which was now the third) would falter much sooner. He didn't want to give the both of them any more worries than they already had, and going toward the hospital would mean that they'd be crossing the PD building. He had some things to take care of there.

"The nearest hospital is about a twenty minute walk from here. If we hurry, we can get there without anything happening to us along the way."

No one had spoken much on the walk to their destination except for Naruto. He was bombarding Sasuke with questions, and the Uchiha just told him he'd tell him later when he wasn't so exhausted. It was bad enough that he'd have to deal with the nurses.

Kakashi had told the two to go on without him when they passed the PD building. Neither of them questioned him, as Naruto practically dragged Sasuke the rest of the way. All Sasuke could do was sigh at the blond's actions.

--

Just as he expected, Sasuke's appointed doctor had wanted to know everything. Even though he had prepared for it, it didn't make anything any better. He didn't want to have to recall his failure, and didn't want to be reminded of the loss of one of his closest friends, and if he had just tried a bit harder, could've saved her from her death. He generally didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he had to tell Kiba that his wife of about six years was dead, and that he was never going to be able to see her again.

"Everyone was in a panic due to the bomb raid, and when I had told Officer Hatake to use his authority and help calm them even just a little bit, he basically brushed it off. I didn't know where my friends were, so I just decided to do things myself, and it didn't bother me much for I had done it once before.

"I had managed to get a few families and people to listen to me and lead them to some sort of shelter, but everyone else was either too stubborn to listen to me or had too much pride in their thick skulls and didn't want to accept the help of an Uchiha. I found my friend, Hinata Inuzuka, under a pile of rubble. Don't ask me how it got there. I had tried to get her to let me help her, but she insisted that I take her daughter with me instead. She was ill, and used that as an excuse for me to listen to her when she said she knew what she was talking about.

"So I ran to find Kiba, my other friend and the father of their daughter, but just as we made it to the forested area, the impact of another bomb had toppled a nearby tree, and instead of letting the girl take the hit, I got in front of her and one the broken branches had torn this gash in my shoulder. Kawatta had ran after that, and the raid was pretty much over.

"I had told my friend," he pointed at Naruto who sat next to him on the hospital bed, "to take the officer with him to a cave we had discovered previously, and just headed back there."

The doctor nodded, scribbling on his clipboard. "So, how long do you suppose you walked around with that wound?"

"I'd say about... since it's now around ten in the morning, I'd say around fourteen hours."

There was an awkward silence, and the doctor just stared at Sasuke as if he had gone crazy.

"_F-Fourteen_ hours? Why didn't you come straight here once you met up with your friend over there?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe because my head was a bit hazy from the pain and blood loss, or that I was just too tired."

"Too tired? With all due respect, Mr. Uchiha, you could've died. Actually, it's a miracle that you had even survived that long."

"When I got back to the cave, I woke Naruto and the officer. I had asked for Mr. Hatake to put some temporary bandages on. This is the third patch job, and it's not as great as the first two. He started to run out of bandage wrap."

The man had just sighed and told Sasuke that he'd be taken in so they could properly stitch up his shoulder. When the two were alone, Sasuke asked, "Does that answer any of your questions, dobe?"

Naruto slightly nodded. "How... How are you going to break it to Kiba-san? There's no way he would take it lightly."

Sasuke agreed. "I know. They've known each other since they were kids, and besides their daughter, Hinata was all he had when the war started. To be honest, I'm surprised that those two even bothered to stick around me."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it mostly has to do with my family name." He said. "After my family's massacre, rumors spread like wildfire. My father was the head of the Uchihas, and when the income had gotten severely cut due to the war, my father had decided that they'd try to regain their loss by starting over. That turned out to be a huge failure, and with the other families noticing our clan getting weaker, he knew that we'd get attacked soon. So, without thinking, my father struck a deal with the enemy nation in order to protect our lineage. All that did was allow them to suck the rest of our wealth before they killed us off themselves. My brother and I were the only ones that weren't slaughtered, and he had taken care of me until he died due to illness."

Naruto knitted his brows in confusion. "That's not what Kakashi-san had said. He said that your family was one of the most honorable he had ever come to know. He said that even when they hit rock bottom, that they tried to climb their way back up and had earned his respect."

Sasuke scoffed at this. "What a bunch of lies."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a nurse.

"We're ready to take you in now, Mr. Uchiha."

--

There the folder and it's contents lay sprawled all over his desk. They made absolutely _no _sense to him. All of the writing and such were that of the writing on the cover of the folder, and so Kakashi wasn't able to understand a bit of it. He figured that it was some form of code instead of a different language, and that each symbol stood for something. He was at a loss of what to do. If all of the information the folder had to offer was written out, then he'd be getting nowhere.

He scouted inside the bag once more where he found another folder, smaller and way more thin. He opened it and found a letter with neatly written penmanship, and he was surprised to see that in wasn't written in code.

_I take it that whoever is reading this note now, has number K2 in your possession. The information sealed within this folder is written in a code known only to me and my (ex) fellow scientists, so trying to decipher it would be utterly useless._

_I have written this note to you as a warning of sorts concerning number K2. While studying the art of artificial human beings with my colleagues, we had undergone several attempts to create them. All ended in failure. The others had decided it was wise to quit, for if we were to get caught doing such risky and forbidden projects, we'd be executed. While they quit, I decided to move the work to my estate._

_I had gotten close to succeeding once, but found that I had merely created a fleshy doll in which was more or less hollow inside. I could not find out what the key ingredient was to make my work a success, when one night it hit me. Since the experimentation began, we had only been using flesh samples and such to create these beings. So I had thought, 'What if I had used a real human being instead of samples of one?' So I had sent my men out to catch an unexpected man off the streets and brought him back to my lab._

_I had put the doll in one test chamber and the human in another alive, and combined the two chambers as one through a tube in which the chemicals used could freely travel into both equally. I knew what I was doing was beyond sanity, but at that point in time I didn't care._

_At first, I didn't know if I had succeeded. When the finished product had come out, it didn't respond to anything I had done. I was about to discard it entirely until it woke up. It had taken on the appearance of the man used in the experiment, except for the markings on his face. From what I knew, he was functioning, and I thought it wise to test his abilities._

_On the training field, I was blown out of my mind. I had discovered that not only did I create a being, but it was also **alive**. Upon further inspection, I had found that the boy had organs, working organs. His heart beat like any human's would, and his lungs filled with air. To prove that he was actually living, I had tried smothering him. Without air, he nearly suffocated._

_I trained him harshly, trying to see how far I could push him without him breaking. For a while, he had no purpose, so I had given him the order of protecting me. I knew that someone would eventually find out about K2, and so I had taken many precautions such as putting together the information in this folder and writing this letter._

_Not only was K2 alive, but he had a strange power within him. When I had pushed him too far, he'd start enveloping his body in a red, sort of spiritual energy, thus healing his wounds, increasing his speed and stamina, and giving him a tremendous jolt of energy. It had terrified me at first, and I had thought that I created a monster, but that power of his came at a price and soon he blacked out from its prolonged usage._

_I caution you to watch out as well as look after K2. He is special, one of his kind. He also has an ability in which no born human male has. I had tweaked his system enough for him to survive it, but it is unknown to him. He needs a purpose to continue to exist, otherwise he may go on a rampage of confusion or simply die. He was very important to me, and he and I had formed a bond. Guard him with your life, and whatever you do, keep his power in check._

And with that, Officer Kakashi Hatake was officially confused out of his mind.

--

After Sasuke's stitches, he and Naruto sat in the cafeteria eating a late breakfast. The doctor had noticed that the Uchiha was dirt poor and decided to give him and his friend a free lunch pass, but only for the day. Since he and Naruto were alone, he wanted to use this time to get to know the blond better. Of all the time they had spent together, Sasuke only knew what Naruto had told Kakashi, and maybe a smidgen more.

"Hey, Naruto," he started. "Is it true that you have no family? At all?"

Naruto nodded. "You already know that I don't come from this time, and even back then I had no one. Well, I had Madara-sama, but he wasn't around all too much. I don't remember _anything_ of myself except for what Madara has taught me, and I woke up in a room with machine-type thingies connected to me." Naruto has stopped. He didn't want to tell Sasuke about what Madara had said he was; how he got here to the world of the living. He didn't want to lose a friend, and the only reason he was alive right now. "Madara had said that I was to protect him, and he was the only reason I had to live. I've seen what loneliness is, and even though I was frozen in time in a capsule, somehow I could feel it. 3,000 years of it is enough to kill a person's mind, even though they're not technically living through it."

Sasuke knew what loneliness was by true experience. Raising himself when his brother had passed was unbearably hard, and with everyone rubbing their noses in his face because of his father's mistake made it that much worse until he had met Kiba and Hinata. "What do you live for now?"

Sasuke swore he had saw a small blush appear on the boy's face before the younger looked down. "W-Well..." Naruto stuttered. "It... would be y-you."

Sasuke's eyes grew a fraction. "M... Me? Why?"

"Uh... you see, you're the only one that hasn't been treating me like an outsider, terrorist, criminal, freak... well, the list goes on. And if it really weren't for you who set me free, imagine where I'd be. Besides," Naruto looked up again, "you're a really great person when you let your guard down. You smile, laugh... did I tell you that your laugh is really nice to hear? When I find myself thinking badly about myself and I hear you laugh, I end up feeling so much better. And when you smile when I feel like crying, I can't help but forget about what I was so upset about and smile, too."

Sasuke felt his face warm. To hear these things from another was a bit embarrassing, because he had grown up being told he wasn't to be trusted and that he was a nuisance. But here Naruto was, saying that he made him happy and that he basically didn't care about what the others had to say. All he knew was the Sasuke he had let him see. The Sasuke that he felt no need to show others who never deserved it. He'd never really opened up to anyone, and limited himself on what he told Kiba. He couldn't afford to place all of his trust in one person, but maybe he could for Naruto. He seemed trustworthy enough.

"Ne, Sasuke?" The blond asked, yanking said man out of his thoughts. "Do you... like me?"

Sasuke stared at him before clearing his throat. "It depends on what you mean by like."

"Hmm... how about as a really close friend? I know we've really only just met, but I'm closer to you than I ever was to Madara. You're nothing like him at all. He'd scare me and play with my head just to get me to listen and obey him like some dog. He was terrifying with those eyes."

"As a close friend... definitely. I don't hold a torch to you, Naruto. You do all of the things you praise me about and more without even thinking about it."

"You see... I normally put on a smile because I don't want others to notice how weak I really am. I don't... I don't fake them around you, though. I fell that it's okay to be me around you. Or as me as I can get."

They settled into a comfortable silence up until Sasuke caught the blond fidgeting. "What's wrong, dobe?"

Naruto began to blush again. "I was just... um, thinking back to when your friends..." he fell silent, causing Sasuke to chuckle. "What... What does a... what does it mean when you press your lips to another's?"

"It's called a kiss."

"Yeah! Okay. So what do they... mean?"

"You kiss someone when you really like them, and when you trust them with all your secrets. Couples and families usually kiss to show their love for the other, and even if they are both under different circumstances, they generally mean the same thing."

He heard Naruto mumble an "oh", and asked, "Why?"

"N... No reason!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Liar." He said playfully.

It was Naruto who cleared his throat this time. "I was, um... thinking about what it would be like if we..." He immediately shut his mouth. He put on a fake and shaky smile. "Nah, never mind me. Forget I mentioned it."

And for the time being, Sasuke had, that is until they were walking back towards the camp where he found himself thinking the same exact thing Naruto was. "M... Maybe just one, dobe. To, you know, relieve the tension and the 'what if'."

At first, Naruto had a hard time figuring out what Sasuke had meant, until a pair of soft, warm lips landed smack on his own. All thought after that completely halted.

--

When they had found Kiba, Kawatta was also with him. The brunette had been constantly asking Sasuke if he knew where Hinata was, or if he had seen her. Sasuke answered yes to both of them, and when Kiba asked for the Uchiha to tell him, he had seen tears start to form in both Naruto and Kawatta's eyes and the blond cast his gaze to the ground. This made Kiba want to know where his wife was even more.

"Where the hell is she, Uchiha?! Where is my wife?"

Sasuke steeled his onyx eyes and locked gazes with Kiba. "She's in Heaven, and I had seen her say goodbye."

Kiba was about to slug the Uchiha in his rage, but Naruto had stopped him. "It's not like he wanted to. Hinata said she wouldn't have made it anyway, and that Kawatta was the number one priority. Sasuke had wanted to save her, but he couldn't. She was already out of his reach."

After that, Kiba fell to the ground, holding his daughter, the last remaining piece of Hinata he had left to hold and broke down, muttering, "Say it's not true," over and over until he had ran out of tears.

--

_Checked through for grammar, and corrected what I saw._


	6. Madara and Number K2

**Warnings: **_None._

**Note: **_This is a Naruto flashback chapter. Time changes are indicated by the year shown above a section._

--

**C. Six;**

_Madara and Number K2_

_Seidai; year 0012_

_Darkness. Complete, utter darkness. What is this place? Where am I? _Who _am I? Am I even a living thing?_

_... Wait. I feel something. It's... beating? Yes. A soothing lub-dub inside of my chest. _Is _it beating in my chest? I don't know._

_I'm feeling something else now. Along with the beating, I feel like I'm expanding... but on the inside. I can hear the sound when it comes out of me, and I can feel my body relaxing as it goes back in. What is happening?_

_Now... Now I hear a voice. A deep, velvet-like voice. Who does it belong to?_

_'Wake up,' it tells me._

_How? Am I in a slumber? Am I hibernating or something?_

_'Wake up, Naruto,' it says again._

_Naruto? Is that my name?_

_There's a light. Small, but there. Do I go toward it? Will I still be okay once I do?_

--

Deep blue eyes slowly open, wincing at the bright light directed spot-on in his face. His ears caught the sound of beeping, trying to locate its source. He soon found that he was bound to a metal table, wires and an IV connected to his skin by cold, sticky patches on his chest, legs, arms, and forehead.

Then he saw a man. His vision was blurry, but he could make out his general appearance. Long black hair that had stopped around his mid-lower back, and the man took time in working on his shape. The most notable feature the blue-eyed boy saw on this man were his blood-red eyes. For some reason, it flared an unknown sensation in the pit of his stomach. He felt as if he had to get away, run as far as he could. What was that feeling called?

"So you're up, young man," the older had said. "Welcome to the world. How do you feel?"

It took several minutes for the man's words to sink in as he tried to answer back. "I... I don't kn-know. How am I su... supposed to feel?"

"You're supposed to feel everything."

"E...Everything?"

The man smirked. "Yes."

--

He had done it. Uchiha Madara had created a being. A functioning, responsive being. Its brain functions were normal, processing the things around him. His eyes were in constant movement as they headed toward his study, trying to take all of the sights in as he could. Madara felt on top of the world. This was where he wanted to rub his success in the other scientists' faces.

... But he couldn't risk that. Not now; not when he wasn't sure that something could happen to his experiment. He'd have to take the next couple of weeks slow, gouging the boy's intelligence. He wasn't sure if the man he had used as a test might have given the boy some extra insight of the world, or if Naruto would be able to connect to the man in some way. He'd have to test that later.

As they settled in his study, Madara had thought up a few guidelines for the boy to follow. Making sure he had the boy's attention (though it was hard to get with his curiosity running rapid). He started off slowly. "First off, I am your master. You answer me formally, and speak with no one but me, unless told otherwise. You must not wander off, and listen to what I say with your undivided attention. When I speak to you, you do not interrupt me. You stay indoors and away from windows until I say otherwise, and keep your actions and your stay here low key. Do not do anything suspicious or out of the ordinary."

He paused for a moment, for he wanted the other to digest everything he was saying before starting again.

"This is the most important warning I have for you. Never come inside of this study again, unless I invite you. When I do, knock no matter what. Also, stay out of sight when you spot men driving or walking up the drive. Stay hidden in your quarters until I send someone up to you saying you are able to roam freely again. Do you understand all I have said, boy?"

The blond nodded. "Yes... Master?" He said with a little uncertainty. He smiled when the man praised him. "Master... do you suppose you can show me around a bit more? I find this place rather intriguing."

--

The estate was majestic. Naruto would have thought that this was heaven, only his master had said there was no such place and that he was not dead or 'malfunctioning'. That word had puzzled him, because it truly sounded as if his master had referred to him as a machine. The blond knew he was alive, the beating in his chest and the expanding of air that filled him when he breathed in proved that to him.

He found that he didn't like it when his master referred to him as such, but decided it was wise not to disobey the man. He still had that aura around him like he had when he felt fear (his master had taught him basic emotions on the tour) towards him on first sight. Feeling things were totally new to him, and he wasn't sure why people _had _feelings. He had yet to experience them all, and he was somewhat looking forward to learning more about the world and what it takes to live in it.

Now they were sitting in the garden, Naruto sitting as proper as he could. He said nothing, catching onto the rules pretty fast.

"Have you had enough sight-seeing for today, Naruto?" Madara asked.

Naruto cautiously nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you for showing me around. I rather enjoyed it. There are so many things to see. So many colors with different shades and textures." He paused, unsure if it was okay to speak for that long, or if he was just supposed to answer the question itself with nothing extra that could be mistaken for conversation or not.

Naruto concluded that it was okay when Madara had not scolded him. "Are you starting to feel hungry?"

"Hungry? What's that?"

"It's when your mind tells your body it needs food. If you go without for too long, your stomach may hurt, or you could pass out if you starve yourself. No need to worry about that though. As soon as I get you on an eating schedule, I'll send your meals up to you."

"Well, I'm not sure if a rumbling in my tummy is any indication of being hungry or not."

Madara marveled at the boy's childish innocence. It nearly made him want to smile. "If it 'rumbles', then yes, you are hungry."

Madara's reply came with an unstoppable smile. Whether he wanted it to be there or not.

--

It had been two weeks since Naruto had been created, and nothing for the worse has happened. Madara took this as a good sign and that it would be okay for him to test the boy's endurance with physical training along with other things.

He had the blond test how much he could lift, which was not much. Madara had said that he'd have to do something about the boy's low strength level. Then they had tested Naruto's mental and strategic capabilities. Naruto had done well, averaging out. At least his creation wasn't an idiot and has common sense, or at least a feel for it.

They had done several other exercises that tested areas such as accuracy, artistic ability, musical ability, intelligence (math and so on), and put him in trick scenarios to see what he'd do and what choices he'd make. Survival training was laced in with combat training, seeing how Naruto would do under pressure and in tight situations.

Madara had tested almost every aspect of the boy he could think of, and he passed them all with average or excellent ratings. Madara had saved the endurance for last, not knowing what could happen. At first, the Uchiha was going to bring a servant or trainer to deal with this aspect, but thought it wiser to do it himself. He still couldn't risk word spreading about his success and its result: Naruto. For now, all that he was doing was top secret, that was until he was going to meet with the others (scheduled around the end of the month if endurance training had gone well).

He had fought Naruto in the spacious garden, telling the blond to come at him with everything he got. Despite the fact that Naruto wasn't educated in any self-defensive and offensive techniques, he was a pretty good fighter. Madara had suspected that it may have been a trait passed down to him by the human whose body he inhabited or took over. He was blocking all of Madara's hits so far, but miscalculated one punch that landed his face down in the dirt with a broken nose.

To say that the blood Madara saw coming from the boy surprised him was putting it way too lightly. If the boy could bleed, then he wasn't as artificial as he had assumed. And that would put Madara in a world of trouble. If anyone were to find out that he had created a living, _breathing_ human being that survived like the rest of them, who knew what commotion that would cause. Madara would be executed and Naruto could be killed and used as a guinea pig; torn and ripped apart to be studied. Madara could not let that happen. Especially not to Naruto, who has yet to grasp the true meaning of life.

For the time being, Madara put those thoughts on hold and continued to fight. He had the upper hand through most of the battle, and had managed to eventually pin the blond down. He provided Naruto no escape as he painfully held him there, the boy thrashing underneath him and begging to be let go. Whenever he begged, Madara would tighten his grip and push him harder into the earth, trying to teach him to never allow himself to become so weak and lower himself to the point of begging and pleading.

He had Naruto in a grip enough to kill the boy any second, and just as Madara was going to let the boy go, he felt a red-hot surge of power come from the blond. It pushed Madara back with force, and when Madara looked at him, he was covered in a red cloak-like substance, protecting him from any further attacks as well as healing his wounds. Madara just watched as the blond opened his red eyes, obviously confused and scared, staring at his hands with wide eyes.

Naruto had no idea what was happening to him, or even why it was happening. He knew that his master was going to set him free from his death-like grip, but then his mind went blank as he felt his body become unbearably hot. His vision turned red, and he was enveloped in a red energy that protected him and healed him. His heart beat frantically, and he found it harder to breath. His body screamed in agonizing pain as he felt the rush of power rip through his system.

_What is this? What am I?_

It became too much, the power too great for him to stand. He felt the world spin before going black, his body hitting the ground with a soft 'thud'.

--

Naruto had been around for about three years now, and Madara made sure not to push the blond too hard or set any triggers off inside him. He had locked himself in his study for months after the power's appearance, trying to find some logical reason as to why that had happened. He was trying to convince himself at the same time that it could be a defect, but with all these negative aspects that came with the knowledge of that power, Madara couldn't help but fell oddly prideful. He had created a human (a _live_ human) that could also be served as a weapon. If he could harness that power and control it in his favor, then he'd be untouchable. No one would dare cross him once they knew.

And that also gave Naruto a purpose. "Live for me, boy," he had said. From then on, he had heightened the boy's abilities, and taught him the true principles of life, figuring it was time the boy knew. He also informed the boy on how he came to be, no longer hiding anything from him.

He had been meeting with the other scientists he had worked with for the past two years, making sure they knew nothing of Naruto or of his research and success. For all they knew, Madara had given up and didn't even bother with his lab anymore. He had convinced them that he was giving it up, and that if he couldn't create something such as life, then he'd just quit. They had believed him, for everyone knew that Uchihas hated failing.

Keeping Naruto under wraps was going smoothly until one day, Naruto had missed the car that had pulled in the drive. He was too busy studying the main hall curtain, the blue dazzling him, to notice their stares. Naruto began to feel watched, and when he met the eyes of the men Madara had said to stay away and out of sight from, his eyes widened with fear and he ran. But even he knew it was too late.

Though he and Madara had gotten close during his stay (sort of 'Father-and-Son-ish, with the way Madara had taught him and treated him like family), that didn't make any difference when Madara need to discipline him. The Uchiha shut himself away from the world to do what had to be done, that way no feelings would be involved.

And as expected, his master showed up in his room that night, not too pleased with the questioning he had received because of him. Naruto had expected to be beat, like usual, but when no pain came, he turned and looked up at Madara. He had met his eyes, which was the gravest mistake Naruto had ever made.

As soon as his gaze locked with his master's, he was put through a world of hell for what felt like centuries. When the illusion had faded, Naruto just lay there on the bedroom floor, his eyes devoid of any life, his skin gone pale.

And that was how his punishments were carried out from then on.

--

They had found out. After keeping it a secret for five years, the others knew of Naruto. They knew Madara made him and that he was an actual living life form, and also knew that they'd be coming for him soon. He took out all of the information he had gathered on Naruto and stuffed in a folder, along with a hand-written letter.

He was going to save his creation, even at the cost of his own life. He prayed that his capsule would function properly, for he'd need it.

--

Smoke. Fire. Black mist.

As the fire had gotten worse, Naruto tried his best to find his master. He had checked everywhere except the study, and was now heading that way. Even if it was forbidden to enter without permission, he needed to know that his master was okay. He needed to protect his reason to live.

Everything was a blur to Naruto after that. All he remembered was men attacking his master and running to save him. Instead, he felt himself being pushed, and then stabbed by coldness a second later. All thought after that had ceased, and Naruto had felt as if he were floating in space.

The next thing he knew, he met Sasuke. Who had become closer to him than Madara was, despite what little time they had spent together. Naruto felt at peace with Sasuke, and he felt special. And, to some extent, loved. He was glad that Sasuke had agreed to be Naruto's purpose for living because in all honesty, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

--

_Went through and checked for grammar mistakes. I could have missed some._


	7. Starting To Change

**Warnings: **Not much.

--

**C. Seven;**_**  
**_

_Starting To Change_

_Seidai; year 3012; small campsite near the waterfall_

_How should I feel? To know that the one thing in my life that I adored the most is now gone? More importantly, how am I supposed to feel when I have the knowledge that my 'best friend' stood there and watched her go when he could have done something about it? It's bad enough that he let my BLIND daughter run around in a bombing raid. She was lucky I found her before something bad had happened. Can I even trust him like I did anymore?_

_--Kiba  
_

Nothing was quite the same since Hinata had passed away. Kiba was more depressed than happy, Kawatta now had a routine of waking up in the middle of the night crying and asking for her mother, and Sasuke was now extremely withdrawn, much to Naruto's confusion. The blond seemed to notice that whenever Sasuke had took off to be alone, Kiba's mood had gotten a bit brighter, and he smiled every now and then when playing games with his daughter; that angered Naruto to no end.

It wasn't Sasuke's fault that she had passed away. It was of her own free will and desire to keep her daughter alive. Then why, Naruto questions, does Kiba – and to some extent Kawatta – act like it was? Naruto also found that Sasuke's name had turned taboo in Kiba's presence. How could two people that were so close end up turning away from each other without a second thought? Naruto didn't know, but he made it his mission to get them to stop being so immature about it and grow up.

Naruto decided that he'd talk to Kiba about it later, probably when he had Sasuke there and willing to talk, too, and go in search of Sasuke first. And since Kiba refused to say anything to him about Sasuke, he had to go out and search blind. He hoped he didn't get lost.

--

Naruto failed at being a seeker. He looked all around the campsite - made for temporary use – and found no sign of his friend. When Sasuke wanted to disappear, he sure knew how to do it. It was like he had vanished without a single trace.

Naruto had thought about the waterfall that Sasuke had pointed out to him earlier, but there were two problems with that: one was that he had forgotten the way there, and the other was that it was getting rather dark very quickly, and he estimated that he had about an hour before the darkness would completely take over. He didn't like the idea of Sasuke being gone for so long, and he especially didn't like thinking about the possibilities of Sasuke getting hurt. He'd rather just find the Uchiha so his mind could finally be at ease.

--

Sasuke sat under the waterfall, hugging his knees, letting the water wash his troubles away, even if for a little bit. Sasuke didn't know what to do anymore, or even how to feel. He felt so alone, and he can see the way Kiba looked at him with hate, and how Kawatta always inched away from him whenever she sensed he was around. What had he done that was so terrible? Was it Hinata?

Sasuke closed his eyes. The darkness he found there was so calming, and he could feel himself relax a bit. All the stress he was under lately wasn't helping him and his current predicament at all, and escaping for a little while was the only thing that was keeping him sane lately. Just being at the camp with Kiba and them made him edgy, paranoid. It was like he had this feeling they were going to jump him – or worse – and it was all over something he had no control over.

_What a joke._ It was not like he wanted one of his best friends to die, and if Kiba could only see how much he had tried to persuade her to let him help her. He could have gotten them both out, but she insisted that he go. And did he plan on getting his shoulder practically sliced in half, resulting in Kawatta running away? Not exactly. Another thing that Kiba hadn't seen was how long he had been out looking for her, driving himself mad for not being able to find her. Why didn't anyone care? They weren't the only ones hurting....

He slowly reopened his eyes, the world outside almost as dark as the one within. He had to leave soon, or else he'd never find the path back. Sasuke personally didn't mind staying under the fall all night, but he knew that he couldn't risk getting sick. The water was starting to give him a headache, and his shoulder was starting to throb again. Being near exhaustion didn't help, either.

He stood and stretched, his muscles sore from staying in the same position for way too long. He stepped out from under the water and shook his head. Sasuke wasn't looking forward to going back at all. He hated being looked at and treated as though he himself were the villain.

When he got back, Naruto was the only one up. Sasuke noticed the light, pained look on his face, and that he was running his fingers over what looked like a scrape on his nose. The blond didn't seem to notice as Sasuke silently walked toward him, crouching in front of him and grabbing Naruto's wrist gently. The blond was startled for a minute, but soon relaxed again.

Neither of them spoke for a few, and Naruto was the one who broke the silence. "Um... are you feeling better?" He asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "How did you get hurt?"

"I... I went to go look for you--"

"Why?" Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto began to hesitate. "I... I just did. So anyway, I went looking for you, 'cause I was getting worried, and I didn't want you getting hurt or anything--"

"What does it matter?" The brunette said coldly. "No one else seems to care. They could care less about what happens to me."

Looking at the ground, Naruto said softly, "I do, and it matters to me, 'cause you're my friend. I don't blame you one bit, you know. You tried, no matter what anyone else thinks. I may not know much about any of you, but I know that it's not normal for such close friends to be so cold to each other like this."

"I could have done something more--"

It was Naruto's turn to interrupt him. "No," he said firmly. "Don't even go there. As much as I hate to say it, Hinata's dead. She's gone. There's nothing any of us can do but move on. And from this point on, you need each other. They're all you have right now." Naruto paused for a brief second.

"I don't understand any of this, Sasuke," he said. "I truly don't. Don't let something like this tear you guys apart. Being alone isn't fun, you know. So suck it up already."

Sasuke, who still had a hold of Naruto's wrist, said, "You still haven't fully told me how you got this scrape."

Naruto perked up a bit. "Oh, right! Like I was saying. I couldn't ask Kiba where you were, so I decided to go and find you myself. It was getting really dark, and so I decided to give up and wait for you to come back. Well, on the way here, I was clumsy enough to trip and fall on my face! It stings a bit, but other than that, it's bearable."

Sasuke slowly stood and headed toward his tent – which they miraculously were able to recover after the raid. Before he walked inside, he turned back to Naruto.

"Uh, thanks for... caring. It's nice to know that there's at least one person who isn't damning me to Hell right now."

Naruto stared at Sasuke's retreating back, letting his words sink in, and couldn't help but smile.

--

For the third time that night, Officer Hatake reread the folder left in the preservation capsule he found in that cave after the bomb raid. None of it made sense. He knew that long ago, there was a group of scientists that performed experiments and wanted to prove their power and worth to the world through their inventions and knowledge, but he didn't know that one of them had managed to create a _human_.

At the academy, they were taught such things, just in case, but Kakashi hadn't expected that he'd ever run across something that he'd need to use the knowledge for. In cases like this, he would normally have to turn the folder or evidence in to his superior officer for safety measures, that way they could analyze it and such. But this... he didn't know what to do with it.

The letter that was enclosed in the folder... it wasn't signed, and just the mere thought that this guy created life was mind blowing. All Kakashi knew so far was that the man created a human, and that human had some sort of unknown power of extreme proportions. The experiment's 'name' was K2, and Kakashi didn't know how to interpret that. For all he knew, it could be code for something, or just a meaningless label that was given to him to make the scientist's life easier. The boy and the man also had a strong bond; strong enough for the man to save the boy instead of himself. And what could it possibly do that no other man can? It made absolutely no sense (as he concluded for the hundredth time).

As the officer began to process all of this, his eyes widened in realization. This thing – this _experiment_, could be walking among them at this very moment. It could be anywhere, and since it has no real control over its power (from what Kakashi had assumed), it could be extremely dangerous. He was truly at a loss as to what to do.

So, after hours of mulling it over, Kakashi had decided it'd be best for him to turn it in. The higher-ups may have more information on the matter than he does, and they might have a clue as to what to do. Besides, just having the bundle in his possession this very second was enough to suspend him.

With his mind made up, he slipped the folder under his mattress, praying for some much needed rest.

--

_Spinning, blood-red eyes._

_Unbearable pain._

_An eternity of torture summed up in only a few brief minutes._

_He could feel the knifes digging into his skin; feel the blood running down his sides._

_The sting of his tears as they ran down his face and mingled with his sweat._

_He was confused, in pain, and so lonely. So, so alone. There was nothing and no one there but the suffocating darkness, and the fear of not knowing when the next strike was to come._

_What had he done to deserve this? What had he said? What had he seen? He couldn't even think, so he just pitifully shut his eyes and waited for the pain – for everything – to just stop. For time to once again move and for light to make itself known; pierce through the darkness and show him the way out of this nightmare._

_... Was it a nightmare? Was he truly dreaming this up? Everything felt too real to be fiction, and the black too recognizable. A tiny part of him had told him he'd seen this darkness before, but couldn't recall where._

_Was he losing his mind so soon?_

Naruto woke with a start. His head hurt, his face was wet with unbidden tears, and fear was laced tightly through every part of his body.

He could remember the pain and dark like it was yesterday, and how unbearably long it was. The hopelessness was too overpowering, making his body shiver uncontrollably. He always told himself that it never happened, that he wasn't sent to that place, and had always managed to believe it until the nightmare came back and slapped him in the face. He was able to trick himself so well, to the point where he'd unconsciously say something like, "I wonder what would happen if it ever happened to me", or "I never want to go through what those men did", but then the truth comes back saying, "I'm here. You're never getting rid of me."

That dark place was somewhere he hated going to, and it was somewhere where nothing meant anything anymore, and no matter how loud you screamed, no one would come to save you. You couldn't see what was hurting you, yet you knew it was there, and each strike hurt twice as bad as the one before it.

It got worse and worse, to the point where your body would reach its limit and you'd start to go mad. It'd eat at you, until there was nothing left. You could feel yourself slipping away... far, far away. And then, in an instant, you're back into the world of light, and the physical pain is gone. Time starts up again, and life moves on. But yet you are bound to the spot, too afraid to move a muscle, too afraid to do anything, and most of the time, you even forget how to breathe and think. You're just a doll, a body with no soul. But then you black out, and when you woke up next, you'd find your self back in your bed, almost as if nothing ever happened.

Naruto didn't want to go back to those times. He never wanted to experience anything like that ever again in his life. He nearly had a breakdown after seeing Sasuke's eyes... so closely resembling Madara's... but couldn't afford to. He had worked so hard to build up his composure, and couldn't risk losing it now.

Besides, Sasuke was nothing like his old master. That man was cruel, cold, and always shut away. But still... Madara had taken the time to teach him, to learn from him, and to help him better understand himself and his place in the world. Madara also gave him a reason to live, and was overall pretty good to him. Naruto still didn't understand why his master sent him to that dark and lonely place, but what he did know was that it conjured up some resentment toward him. How could someone do something like that to someone they were so... Naruto didn't even know anymore.

Sasuke looked like him, Sasuke walked like him, had the same aura around him that Madara had. But Sasuke wasn't a cruel man, as far as Naruto could see. The Uchiha was so distant and withdrawn, almost as if he didn't want to get close to anyone. Naruto could partially see where he was coming from – the only two people in the world close enough to call 'friend' was either dead or resenting him with everything they had – but still couldn't grasp how quickly things had changed for the worse. And what bothered Naruto the most was the fact that Sasuke closed himself off from him, too, when all he wanted to do was help.

Why was Sasuke so afraid? What was Naruto missing? Was it guilt, or something else? Why was Naruto at such a loss of what to do? He wanted to help, he really did, but he just didn't know _how_. He didn't understand the way Sasuke worked well enough to try, so all he could really do was offer words. Just words.

Sasuke was also very confusing at times. It was like he had all of these different personalities within his mind, and he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to be himself, or one of them. Naruto could tell when Sasuke was really being _Sasuke_, and that made him happy, because that meant he was seeing a side of him that he normally never let slip. He found ways to make Naruto smile, and laugh, without even trying to.

Naruto began to realize that he was starting to like Sasuke, whether or not he wanted to. It was confusing, because he didn't know what it was that was drawing him in... but at the same time, he felt this sort of relief. If he could fall for anyone, he'd rather it be Sasuke, because he trusted him, and he somehow knew that even if Sasuke never liked him back, the Uchiha wouldn't throw it in his face later.

Naruto would just have to wait it out and see what happens. If it comes down to that, then he'll deal with it when the time comes. And hopefully, his heart wouldn't end up broken, intentional or unintentional.

--

_Fixed grammatical errors.  
_


	8. A Deeper Look

**Warnings: **_Lots of jumping scenes oh my. o;_

--

**C. Eight;**

_A Deeper Look..._

_Seidai; Police Headquarters_

_God... I hate this place. It's compiled of a bunch of stiffs that think they own the ground they walk on. They are no different from me, yet they put themselves on such high pedestals.... Why can't we have people like the Uchiha around anymore? At least they were honest and civil...._

_-- Kakashi_

Kakashi walked up to the desk with the manila folder at his side. He put his 'I-mean-business' mask on, stepped up to the receptionist, and coldly stated, "I need Morino. _Now._"

--

_Seidai; The camp_

Not much had changed since the night before... except that now Sasuke could stay around the camp and take the glares and nasty looks like a man. Naruto still believed that their fighting was ridiculous and immature, so he refused to talk to either of them. Kawatta was beginning to warm up to Sasuke again, which only seemed to piss Kiba off even more. In Sasuke's mind, having the girl _want _to be near him again was a step to the recovery their friendships needed.

With Kiba still hating his guts, Kawatta acting as if she forgave him he'd behead her or something, Sasuke's feeling of being alone got even stronger. Sure, part of him was used to it, but then again, having his friends turn their backs on him too only added to it. Not only that, but even _Naruto_ refused to speak to him until they settled things. Honestly, the blond had some pretty far-out expectations of them.

So here the Uchiha was, sitting next to Kiba himself, warming a can of beans they had found near the ruins of the old camp. To say it was awkward was putting it lightly.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "So... it's getting rather chilly out, don't you think?" He glanced at Kiba, hoping his old friend would reply. When he got no answer, his eyes flashed with a bit of frustration. "Kiba," he started, "this has to stop. I _know _that you don't like this as much as I do."

Said man just scooted farther away.

Sighing and hanging his head, Sasuke continued to warm up dinner. Patching things up would be harder than expected, and Kiba had always been hardheaded. The Uchiha looked back up as he got an idea.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Sasuke asked, more to himself than Kiba. "We hated each other with a passion. I think that Hinata--" Kiba flinched at her name "-- was the one who actually got us to start warming up to each other."

Sasuke looked back at Kiba. "It's not only hard for you, losing her. I wanted so badly to pull her out, knowing that I'd still be able to keep Kawatta safe. But she just kept insisting and insisting... then she gave me _that _look. No one can resist that." He saw Kiba absently nod. "So I took Kawatta and ran, like she told me to."

The can Sasuke had been working had grown hot enough to sting within his grip, so he set it down and grabbed one more (Naruto had a big appetite).

"I didn't mean for Kawatta to run off. When we were trying to find you, a branch struck my shoulder, and by the time I got my senses back, she was gone into the frenzy of people. I was going to go looking for her, but somehow I knew she'd be okay; you'd find her." Sasuke grew silent before saying softly, "I'm sorry, Kiba."

For a moment, the campsite was quiet. Dinner was finally warmed enough to eat, setting, temporarily forgotten, in front of the two men. Just when Sasuke thought that all hope was lost, Kiba spoke.

"Hand me that damn can already, dude. I'm starvin' over here!" The mutt shot him a smile. One that Sasuke gladly returned.

In the background, Naruto stood with a genuine smile of his own.

--

_Police HQ_

"This had better be important, Hatake. It was my damn break, for Christ's sake!" Morino complained as he sat behind his desk in his office. He motioned for Kakashi to sit as well.

"I've... come across something very interesting. I thought it would be best to report my findings to you, seeming that most of the information is in some sort of different language, or code."

Morino held his hand out as Kakashi handed him the folder. He looked it over as Kakashi continued. "I found it during the raid. It was in some cave near that camp the refugees stayed at. When it got bombed, I found it as shelter along with some other boy. It has a letter written inside that is written in our hand, but I found that it made no sense."

"With another boy, you say?"

"Yes, sir. He was with Sasuke Uchiha, I presume. He's new."

"What does he look like?" Morino questioned.

"Well..." Kakashi thought for a second. "He had blue eyes, blond spiky hair, lean, around 26... I've never seen him around before. From what he told me, he's pretty much on his own."

"Hmm... Well, I've read this so-called message, and it sounds as if the man's insane."

"Insane, sir?"

"He keeps rambling on about some human he 'created' or something. Did you find anything with this letter?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. The capsule was--"

"Wait. Capsule?"

The officer nodded this time. "Yes. From what I was taught, I'm assuming it's for preservation. The ones that were created during the last great war by those rogue scientists."

At this, Morino fell deathly silent.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"'Is there something wrong with that'? Yes, you dimwit! Whatever was in there, this 'K2', must be out running about. That's not good for us, Hatake. If word of this gets out, it'll make our situation even worse."

Kakashi looked at the floor. "I understand, sir."

--

_Camp_

"So... you and Kiba get your problems settled yet?" Naruto asked. He took a seat next to Sasuke around the fire, while the other two had went to bed early.

With a small smile, Sasuke replied, "Yes, actually. It was easier than I thought it would be."

The flames danced wildly as Sasuke added more wood. He noticed Naruto scooted closer, the cold getting to him.

"Told you," the blond said softly. "All you three have is each other, you know?"

Sasuke chuckled. "I know that by now, counting how many times you have reminded me." Sasuke paused. "We... Well, you have us now, too, you know. It's not 'just the three of us' anymore."

Naruto stared at the raven. It puzzled him how Sasuke had learned to trust him so fast, within days of knowing him. This made Naruto wonder... what if the man knew what he really was?

... No. He wouldn't risk the only friendship he had at this point. Besides, Naruto knew that it would be the best for both of them if he just kept his little secret to himself. No one had to know.

"How can you trust me so easily?" Naruto asked before he could help it.

"I..." Sasuke wasn't sure where to start. "You're very... genuine. You're not afraid to say what's on your mind, you're easy to talk to... and so far, you haven't given me a reason _not _to trust you."

Naruto started to feel relieved about how the question was answered until Sasuke continued.

"_But_... you seem to be hiding something – a secret that you don't want anyone else to know."

"How did you--"

"It's not all that hard to miss," the older man admitted. "I can see it in your eyes. You're this one, giant mystery... a complex one at that. But I'm not going to force you to say anything, because that's where the trust comes in. When you trust me enough, you'll tell me, and _I _trust that when you do, you will. Get it?"

Naruto smiled. "Kinda. It's really confusing, though. I've never trusted anyone before."

"Are you serious?" Sasuke said playfully.

"Yeah! You're the only _real _friend that I've ever had!" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You should be _honored_."

"Most definitely, Your Highness." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're such a moron, moron."

Naruto playfully stuck his tongue out. "And you're a teme, but you don't hear me complaining!"

"How am I a _teme_, you dobe?"

Glaring, the blond replied, "That's how!"

Sasuke watched as Naruto pouted, finding it rather cute. There was just something about the blond that drew him in, and he wasn't sure whether or not it was safe enough to get close to him. Sasuke found himself liking him, and if he knew correctly, Naruto had never been in that type of relationship with anyone before, let alone a member of the same gender, and Sasuke wasn't so sure that he knew how to be in one, either.

He couldn't help but think, _What if he feels the same? What if he's just as confused as I am?_ So Sasuke decided to toughen up and ask the boy.

"Naruto... do you... I mean, _have_ you... thought about..." He couldn't do it. He knew what he wanted to say, but just couldn't say it. What was so hard about it anyway? Sasuke scolded himself.

"Have I thought about what?" The youngest of the two asked. "You're really confusing me here. I've thought about a lot of things lately. Which do you want to hear about?"

Sasuke straightened. "Have you thought about... me?"

The blond blinked a few times. "You? Yeah, a bit. Why?"

"W-Well... I was just-just wondering," stuttered the raven. "Because well, I've thought about you...."

Naruto scooted closer to Sasuke, their sides now touching. "Really? I didn't realize that I was all that interesting."

Turning serious, Sasuke turned to him. "You just... you draw me in somehow. It's like I can't _not_ want to get to know you better, to get closer to you. And yet..."

"And yet...?" Naruto encouraged.

"I don't know what to do."

"What... What do you mean?" Asked Naruto, not knowing what to think, to _feel_. He didn't know what to say, because Sasuke was saying it all.

"Exactly what I said. I want to say so many things, do so many things with you, but I can't, because I don't understand it and I wouldn't know how to."

Naruto drew in a small breath. "What kind of things?"

"Well, I've had this weird impulse to hold you, like I did when I met back with you at the cave."

Without a second thought, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and put it around his waist. "There. I'm close enough to where it's considered holding me. Cuddling at the least."

Sasuke smiled softly. "At least I know holding you is okay... that just leaves one more thing."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke questioningly. "What?"

"This...." And with that, Sasuke closed the distance between them.

Naruto, who was a little bit shocked, responded to Sasuke's kiss sweetly, and decided that they could always talk later.

--

_Police HQ_

There the folder lay on the desk of Neji Hyuuga, a man whose wisdom had yet to be surpassed. He was a master at many languages, spoken and unspoken, as well as written and signed languages and codes. Over the years, he had helped the police force catch the most cunning spies against them, and greatly helped those that were for them.

When Morino _personally _stopped by his office and told him about the 'confidential' case they were starting on, Neji had actually gotten a little excited. He was told that a creature from the past was now running free, and that potentially vital information contained within the folder was written in old code.

Deciphering the information wouldn't be as easy as pie, but Neji was one-hundred-percent positive that with enough determination, he'd be able to do it. From the sound of things, he _had _to do it, and since they were keeping the case on the 'down low', he had to be sly about it. Normally, Neji hated being sneaky, but Morino gave him no choice.

Hopefully he'd be able to get through it without any distractions, and without the news of his cousin's death clouding his thoughts. He couldn't have anything of that sort get to him now, and when a Hyuuga sets their mind on something, there's no turning back.

--

_Fix some grammar, and that's pretty much it.  
_


	9. Uncovering Information

**Warnings: **_None._

**Quick Note: **_Time jumped from fall to winter in late December._

--

**C. Nine;**

_Uncovering Information..._

_Seidai; Campsite, Winter 3012_

_It has been almost four months since Naruto had joined us. It seemed like just yesterday when we had found him. In October, we had celebrated his birthday where he 'officially' turned 26. I found that he is not much younger than me, give or take a few months... or eight. Speaking of Naruto, he and I have gotten close (maybe a bit too close, since Kiba is already sensing "'romance' in the air"), and it's safe to say that he is by far the most interesting and – dare I say it – beautiful person I have ever met. As I've told Kiba... I definitely wouldn't mind being with him._

– _Sasuke_

"Hey, teme! The waterfall is frozen!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke, who had been making a snowman with Kawatta and Kiba, turned his attention to the loud, bundle of energy near said fall. He handed the stick in his hand to Kiba, who stuck it on the mid-section of the snowman, and joined Naruto at the frozen masterpiece. They stood close to each other.

"I find the fall absolutely gorgeous in the wintertime." Sasuke said.

Naruto shot him a confused glance. "But isn't the water supposed to _fall_ if it's a water_fall_? Like, never stopping or something?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not sure on that one. I suppose it's a wonder to us." He chuckled at the look Naruto was giving him. "Just look at it." Sasuke encouraged. "It's beautiful – whether it's falling in the spring or frozen in winter."

At that, Naruto took a long look at the 'frozen wonder'. He guessed that Sasuke was right in a way. It really did look gorgeous, and it reminded him of...

"... A giant frozen icicle." Not realizing that he had said it out loud, he noticed Sasuke laughing at him. "What?"

"A giant frozen icicle? Really?"

Naruto blushed and yelled, "Don't judge me, teme! It's the first thing that comes to my mind!"

Sasuke's laughing didn't cease, and Naruto knew that the man wouldn't let him live it down for a while to come. He was evil that way.

–

_Police HQ; Morino's office_

It was done. After four months of no sleep and no breaks (except for the necessities), Neji was able to at least grasp what the information was stating. There were still several papers he had yet to decode, but he was able to map out the information he had so far.

Apparently, the men were trying to create a being that they could use as a spy for the enemy nation. The scientists had struck a deal with them, promising said being in return for protection and funding. They knew people were targeting them, and as an incentive, they even offered to help annihilate some of the major families, that way word of their work wouldn't get out. Not all of the participants knew of this secret plan, so it was left out of the general information.

The men also wanted fame; power. They wanted to rub their genius in the others' faces just because they could. They wanted to feel as if they owned the world.

One of the members was an Uchiha, and it was quite obvious that he was left out of the 'loop', but knew what was secretly going on. His plan was to play dumb and go through with the deal, but when or if they succeeded, he'd take the creation right from under their noses and hide it. It was said in other papers that he had written to the police department, asking for leniency for going through with the experiments. No one knew for sure if that was true or not, or if it was there to be used for his purpose later on. He made it known that he was going to use the creation to their advantage, not their enemy's.

But numerous testings later, it almost seemed impossible to create life. They had come close a couple of times, the Uchiha giving them the right answers. After a while, the men thought that the man had no idea what he was truly talking about, and that he was just making it up as he went. They let him be and decided to secretly research more, while the Uchiha brought the work to his home.

It took him years, but 'K2' was finally 'born'. The ways were inhumane, and downright despicable, but it got him to his goal. He kept K2 low for a while, and eventually brought the men he worked with back to gloat. He told them how he did it, and even told them about his creation's power. He was determined to keep the boy out of sight, so they wouldn't actually see him, until one day he was caught looking at the drapes in one of the main halls.

The scientists piled the scientist with questions after that, mainly trying to persuade him to make it a group effort once more (and also to tell the enemy nation that it was a success, now that they had a solid confirmation that the Uchiha was telling the truth). The raven had told them that he knew of their plan, and what they were intending to do with K2, and had declined. He also threw in that he was working with the police, and that K2 was legally his and the police's to do as they wish.

To say that the men were pissed was an understatement. The group got together and formed an ambush, burning the man's estate to the ground then slitting his throat for defiance, but he had thought ahead of them. He had managed to preserve K2 and put together the folder to let whomever found the boy know that they had great power within their grasp, and to protect it, use it for good and not wrong. K2 was practically a son to him.

That was the part of the information Neji could handle, but when it got to K2's physical report, it disgusted him to say the least. There was a detailed diagram of his organs, and that was when Neji knew the man was pushing his limits. The poor boy had both of the sexual reproductive organs within him, and it threatened the overall stability of his insides. It was a wonder to the Hyuuga how he had done it so flawlessly, and how he perfected it to where conception would actually be achievable.

The main question was why he would do such a thing, with no real reason or urgency present. Neji assumed that he would never know.

When he broke the news to Morino, it went smoother than expected.

"So the scientists, excluding the Uchiha, were cooperating with the enemy during the last great war 3,000 years ago. Who knew that the Uchiha have been around for _that _long. Looks like they have some serious seniority."

Neji nodded. "It amazed me as well. This is just the basic information."

Morino locked eyes with the Hyuuga. "There's something else I'm missing, isn't there?"

Hesitating, Neji said, "The boy is not like the rest of us. He is... not much of a man at all."

Morino's brow rose at this. "Not much of a man? Explain."

"I found a very detailed diagram of K2's insides. Medically, he's considered an 'it'."

Ibiki laughed. "What? Is he a man on the inside and female on the out?"

"No. He's very much a man on the outside, but both on the in."

The officer stopped laughing at this. How could anything like this be possible? "Go on."

The Hyuuga obeyed. "The Uchiha found a way to make conception work while allowing the boy to withstand it. Of course, if he were to be with child, birth would be nearly impossible to go the natural route, but birth through a C-section would most definitely work."

"So," Ibiki said slowly, digesting the new information, "you're saying that this thing can have kids, has some insane destructive power, and is alive like the rest of us?"

Neji stayed silent and nodded.

Morino let his head hit the desk... pretty hard. "Man, this is turning out to be one huge fucking mess!!"

–

Nighttime during the winter astounded Naruto. The moon was full and mesmerizing, and lit up the snow beneath his feet. Kiba and Kawatta had gone to bed hours before, as did Sasuke, but Naruto wanted to bask in nature's peace a while longer. Not only that, but Naruto's dreams were keeping him up.

At times like this, when the blond was alone, he'd recall how he got here, and how his 'master' had turned him into some freak. He couldn't imagine how the others would treat him if they found out about how he came to be, the power that he felt when he and his master had fought that one day, and his revolting (to him) ability that he possessed.

Naruto wasn't made known to his 'unique gift' as his master had called it until his second year at the estate. He would often feel irritated out of nowhere, wouldn't fit into his jeans very well, and would notice something wrong when... oh no, let's not even go there. And it would happen at least once a darn month! It drove him insane! When he had had enough, he went to talk to his master about it. Luckily, he had caught him before he disappeared into his study.

"_It's nothing that you should be concerned about,"_ he had said. Then Naruto pointed out that it never happened to him (Madara). Madara shrugged at this. _"That is because you are special. You are like none other. In some cases, it is perfectly normal. But you must keep this to yourself, you hear? We will talk about this more later tonight."_

It had been on Naruto's mind for the remainder of the day, until he was called to Madara's study after his scheduled dinner. When he arrived, the man had him sit down and flashed him a piece of paper. On it, was him... and what he looked like on the inside.

At first, Naruto was speechless. Was he supposed to believe that he had _that_ thing in him?

"_I know you are confused," _said Madara, _"but this is the truth. You have a unique gift, child. I know that with it comes some unnecessary and unwanted side effects, but it's nothing you can't endure."_

_Why? _Naruto had asked. _With all due respect, Master, how am I to live with this? I see no real purpose for that thing to be there._

Madara had sighed. _"I understand where you are coming from. And honestly, I don't know why I had done it. I was just testing to see if I could get away with it."_

_But what's it's purpose, Master?_

"_There is none. Maybe it's a test against your endurance, perhaps. To see if you could deal with it. And who knows... it may come in handy."_

Madara made a sign that he was done talking, and had Naruto escorted back to his room. The blond was still very confused, as well as disgusted with himself. How could he call himself a man, when it was only half of the truth? And why did he have to find out that way, when it would have been easier to lie to him in the beginning so he could think that it was perfectly normal?

Why... did Madara want him to feel like a revolting monster all over again?

--

When Sasuke woke to check on Naruto (sometimes the blond had terrible nightmares and needed a bit of comforting) he was worried to not find him there. So, he got up to find the dobe. It didn't take him long, and he found him staring at the moon, with a self-loathing look in his eyes.

_What's wrong with him now? _Intent on asking, he walked up to him. "So... you going to tell me why you're up this late staring into space with that look in your eyes?"

Naruto jumped at his voice, inching away a bit, but relaxed as soon as he confirmed who the voice belonged to. "Oh, n-no reason, really. Just thinking."

"At midnight in the freezing cold?" Sasuke questioned.

Naruto faked a smile. "Well, what's your excuse?"

The raven shrugged. "I woke to check on you. Those frequent nightmares of yours got me worried about you."

Naruto blushed at the statement. "W-Well, I'm fine, as you can see. I couldn't fall asleep with them lurking about, so I decided to stay up and watch the moon. Isn't it beautiful? It makes you feel so small...."

Sighing, Sasuke stared intently at him. "There's something bothering you, other than your nightmares. Mind telling me what it is?"

Naruto met Sasuke's searching gaze. He couldn't just flat out tell the Uchiha what was bothering him, so he tried shrugging it off once more. He saw Sasuke shake his head, not saying anything more.

–

Winter nights were unbearably cold. Sometimes, Naruto would find himself snuggled up to Sasuke's back, trying desperately to find some sort of warmth. It sort of embarrassed him, especially when they both woke up together.

… And then Kiba would poke fun. Personally, the blond didn't get it, or why Sasuke seemed somewhat irritated about it. He would notice the two of them talking when he was out of ear range, and they would glance at him. Naruto never asked about it or showed any offense, but it would have been nice to know whether they were making fun of him or not.

He pulled the blanket tighter around him as a cold gust of wind shook the tent slightly. He glanced over at Sasuke, who seemed at peace in his deep slumber. Even though it was embarrassing, Naruto found Sasuke's warmth comforting, and he had a feeling that the other felt the same... to some extent at least.

And man... would he be able to use some of that warmth right now. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to force himself to sleep. The chatter of his teeth made it even harder to do so. And while he was so wrapped up in trying to get some rest, he barely – barely – noticed a pair of arms wrapping themselves around him, a smooth voice saying, "Go to sleep, dobe."

–

_Fixed grammatical errors._


	10. Forever Is A Long Time

**Warnings: **_Language._

**Note: **_Chapter is short due to it being handwritten._

--

**C. Ten;**

"_Forever Is A Long Time"_

_Seidai; Police HQ_

_You know what I found when I went to wake Sasuke up so he could help me fetch some breakfast? He was holding Naruto, that blond kid. I mean, I knew he liked him but damn! He was holding the poor little guy so tight I thought he'd snap in two!! Now, I was a good friend and just left them alone, but I never expected Sasuke to get so close to Naruto in such a short time. Well, no matter what, I'm happy for him. It's about time that Sasuke found love, too. Even if it is with that knucklehead!!_

_--Kiba_

Today was _not _Kakashi's day. Since Neji had decoded some of the information from the folder that was found in the cave, Morino had come up with an 'ingenious' idea: send officer Hatake himself to travel to a city – _on foot _– that was about a day-and-a-half away. Not only that, but when he had requested to take one of the Jeeps, Ibiki had flat out refused. What wonderful luck he had with that man.

Well, supposedly, there was a chief there who would be able to help them with their investigation. Ibiki had said that the man was trustworthy and would help keep it low-profile, that way they'd have time to properly gather more information without the heat of the public down their necks. He had said that he and the chief went way back, and had met through his son. His wife, though, was another story, and had clearly warned Kakashi to stay away from her, unless he wanted a black eye to bring back with him.

At first, Kakashi thought the warning to be quite strange. She couldn't be that bad, he had thought. Morino had just laughed in his face, saying he had no idea. He had also said that he and Neji were going to research some more while he was gone.

All things considered, sometimes Kakashi seriously thought that Morino was out to get him.

–

"Here," Kiba said as he handed Kawatta her bowl of stew.

The little girl turned her head to her father's voice and smiled. "Thank you very much, Father. It smells delicious."

Kiba couldn't help but smile as well. "Do you think that this will last you until lunch? Or possibly dinner?"

She nodded. "Yes. And I want you to eat all of yours this time. Don't even think about giving it to 'Suke or me like you have been lately."

Flinching, Kiba stared wide-eyed at his daughter. How did she know? "Ka...Kawatta? Since when have you--"

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I am oblivious."

"I want to know who told you. Was it Sasuke?" Kiba growled.

Shaking her head, Kawatta shut her eyes. "No one told me. I sense a change in you, Father. Ever since Mother di--"

"Don't," hissed Kiba. "Don't you dare bring that up."

"I will," she said, her eyes still shut. "It happened, Father. Mother is gone. And since then, you've changed. You are easy to suspect people, and even easier to accuse." She took a few bites of her stew. "And while we are on the topic of Mother's death, I want you to know that I absolutely despised it when you blamed 'Suke--"

"Will you stop calling him that?"

"No. And stop interrupting me, please." Kawatta said defiantly. "'Suke had done nothing wrong. Now, normally I don't question your actions or decisions, but you were most definitely in the wrong. Did you ever think to ask me what had happened? I was there, wasn't I?"

Kiba didn't respond. Instead, he let her continue.

"Aniki said you two were being very immature about it, and I couldn't agree more--"

Kiba couldn't stop himself from cutting in. "Who the hell is this 'Aniki'?"

Kawatta smiled a smile so sweet that Kiba thought his heart would melt. "Why, Naruto of course. He's been very kind to me. Once, he told me that I was like a little sister to him. You know, I have always wanted a brother...."

"Kawatta, as much as I love to see you happy, how can you be so sure that Naruto can be trusted?"

"There you go again, Father. Can you not question things for once, but instead be grateful that they have happened? But if you must know, Aniki's aura is very calming," she explained. "It is unlike any I have ever sensed before. And since he's been here, I have noticed that 'Suke's aura has started to grow calmer as well. Aniki has a way of changing people for the better, and 'Suke really seems to like him. I've never felt him as happy as he is now."

Kiba put his finished bowl on top of Kawatta's. "Hey... do you think I've been a good dad to you?" He searched to find any shock on her face, but he found none.

"...Yes. Though you have your moments, I am proud to call myself your daughter. I _do _love you, Father."

Upon hearing this, Kiba pulled her into a fierce hug. "I love you, too."

It was noon when Naruto and Sasuke had finally woken up. By then, the stew had gotten cold, but Naruto didn't seem to care. While the blond ate away, Sasuke noticed that Kiba seemed rather down, or even thoughtful, which was unusual. He was sitting inside of his tent with Kawatta.

He excused himself from Naruto and joined the two in the tent. "Hey Kawatta," he began, catching the girl's attention. "Why don't you go and keep Naruto some company? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

The girl smiled. "No problem, 'Suke! Leave Aniki to me!!"

Once she was gone, Sasuke grew serious. "What's wrong? You're usually more peppy than this."

The brunette shook his head. "Not much. Kawatta called me out this morning. It's just... when she was talking to me, she seemed so... grown up. But just now, she was... acting like a normal kid. I don't know if it's just me she feels she has to be formal with or what."

"I take it she found out about your eating as well. It was only a matter of time."

"Yeah, she did. It's just so weird, man. I mean, to have your _kid_ tell you stuff like that... you have no idea what it feels like. How _embarrassing _that is!"

"You're right." Sasuke said bluntly. "I wouldn't know."

When Kiba realized what he had just said, he apologized. "I didn't mean anything by it, man, honest."

Sasuke shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's not like I have the time to worry about kids or anything of the sort at the moment anyway."

"Dude, don't let anything stop you from finding love, man."

Sasuke paused at this. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Sasuke," said Kiba. "You can't let this war, your pride, anything stop you from loving someone. It's a chance. Hell, I fell in love with Hinata and that was one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me."

Stealing a glance at Naruto, Sasuke mumbled, "Does gender qualify?"

Kiba laughed. "I know how much you like our little blond. And I... I want you to know that if you want to be with Naruto for forever, then go for it. I support ya, 100-percent."

"Forever is a long time..." And as Sasuke said this, he locked eyes with Naruto. When the blond smiled at him, it took his breath away. "But maybe... maybe I can put up with him and his dobe-ness for that long."

Kiba laughed again, and wasn't at all too surprised when Sasuke joined in.

_HQ_

Ibiki and Neji had been looking through the documents some more, to see if Neji could decipher more information. They were at Ibiki's office, a place Neji had thought he'd never work in. Aside from that, the Hyuuga was able to get a smidgen more deciphered, but not enough to make a significant difference. The two sat in silence for most of the day, until they started discussing the investigation later that night.

"I heard that you sent officer Kakashi a city over, to see Sannin-san." Neji pointed out.

"I have," Ibiki responded. "What about it?"

"May I ask why, Morino-san?"

Ibiki sighed as he leaned back in his office chair. "I don't think that Hatake is ready for something like this. He's too soft. He may act tough, but most of the time he cracks under pressure and makes the most foolish of decisions. I know he has immense skill, but until he can learn to handle himself under that pressure, I can't have him around."

"I see," said Neji. "That doesn't explain why you would not allow him to take a vehicle."

"We need them here," Morino explained. "Just in case. I already called Jiraiya, so he knows Hatake is on his way. I left out talk of the investigation when I spoke with him earlier."

"But wouldn't he find out when Kakashi arrives and happens to bring it up? You did tell him that Jiraiya was going to aid him."

Ibiki smirked at this. "That's why I talked to their son as well. He's a smart man, so I left Kakashi to him. I specifically told Jiraiya and Tsunade to direct Kakashi to him as soon as he arrived. He'll know how to put _officer _Hatake in his place. But for now, our main priority is to find K2 before it--"

"_He_, sir."

"Before _he_ has a chance to reproduce, or call upon that power of his. We need to be rather quick about this Neji-san, for time may not be on our side."

"Understood, Morino-san. I'll have to take the folder back to my office to see if I can decode further." Neji was about to leave when an idea hit him. He spoke without turning around. "I read somewhere in the folder that Madara had evil, cursed red eyes. He's an Uchiha, correct? If I were you, I'd bring that other Uchiha boy here for questioning, to see if he, too, has those eyes."

"Why?" Ibiki questioned. "I'd have to have a damn good reason for that boy to agree to a questioning."

Neji shrugged. "If this K2 is so loyal to his master, and his master has already passed on, then wouldn't it make sense to go with the next best thing?"

Ibiki took a moment to digest the suggestion. After a while, he spoke. "Perhaps you are right."

With that, Neji left, shutting the door behind him.

_Some random road leading to the PD HQ to the city of Enkaku*_

He was now stranded in the middle of nowhere... _fucking _nowhere! And so far, Kakashi has had three hookers asking him for some 'friendly business', a hobo trying to steal his cash, and not to mention that stray alley cat that wouldn't leave him the hell alone!! As much as he hated to say it, Kakashi was lost.

He knew the PD in Enkaku wasn't that far away... he just didn't know which damn road to take. And it didn't help any to add that Kakashi was absolutely _horrible_ with guessing things.

Where was he to go? What road was he to take? All he had to say at the moment was, "Damn Ibiki and his bastardly ways!"

_Seidai; Campsite_

"...It's supposed to be below zero tonight." Kiba held Kawatta close to him to keep her warm. "Will you two be okay?"

"Should be," Sasuke answered.

Naruto, on the other hand, thought otherwise. "I don't think I can stand this cold much longer! And from here on out, it's only going to get worse!!"

Kawatta hopped off of Kiba's lap and then onto Naruto's to hug him. "I'll keep you warm, Aniki!"

"Oh, I don't think he'll need you to keep him warm, honey, remember?" Kiba winked at her.

She grinned. "Oh, yeah! Aniki has 'Suke and his mighty hugging power! Like this morning!!"

Hearing this, Naruto blushed a deep red. "I... I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"This morning!" Kawatta repeated. She then pointed to her father. "Dad found 'Suke holding you! And-And you were snuggling! _Snuggling_, Aniki!"

"I... I was just trying to keep myself warm!" Naruto said, trying to defend himself. It wasn't his fault that Sasuke was so warm! "It was cold last night, too!"

Kiba chuckled. "Yeah, okay blondie. Keep telling yourself that." He stood. "Come on, Kawatta. I don't want you staying up all night." He turned to Sasuke. "Tomorrow, you and Naruto can catch breakfast."

When the two left, leaving Naruto and Sasuke sitting on the log placed by the campfire, all was silent. Then Naruto asked, "Do I really... snuggle to you?"

Sasuke replied, "Sometimes. I don't mind it though. I actually find it rather cute." He smiled as he saw the blond's blush return. "Listen," he started. "This morning... Kiba and I started talking and--"

"When you went to see him earlier?"

"Yes. We were talking about... you."

"Me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Even though you haven't been around that long, I can say with absolute certainty that I've... fallen for you." When he saw Naruto's startled look, his heart sank. "I understand if you don't feel the same. I've been thinking about this all day, and nothing else makes more sense. I'm not in love with you yet, but if you want to try with me, I can be."

Naruto sat there as he listened to Sasuke's confession, too shocked to say anything. He knew that Sasuke was probably a nervous wreck on the inside, and he also knew that staring and saying nothing wasn't making him feel any better. But what was Naruto supposed to do? He liked Sasuke, too, more than the raven realized, but could he risk having Sasuke find out what he is, what he's capable of, to be with him entirely?

Sasuke's voice brought him back to reality. "If you are going to reject me, please do it quickly, while I'm prepared. I'm a very impatient man."

"I... I _do _like you, but--"

"I understand," interrupted Sasuke. "You don't need to explain yourself."

Naruto flinched at the dead tone of Sasuke's voice. "S-Sasuke, I wasn't going to... I mean, I... I don't know what to say. I've never had someone _like _me before, and the other way around. I've never... been as close to someone as I am to you." He admitted, "I have fallen for you, too, teme. If you say that we can do this, then I believe you."

In Naruto's eyes, there was nothing but trust. He was laying everything on the line (well, as much as he would at the moment), and he had hoped that it wouldn't be for nothing.

"So you want to try with me?" Sasuke asked for clarity. At Naruto's shy nod, he smiled. "Thank you, dobe."

After a few minutes of silence, Naruto said, "How do we know if we are... officially... together?"

"I remember Kiba saying that he and Hinata had kissed, or something like that."

Naruto blushed once more. "We... We don't have to do that one thing that they did... in that tent, do we?"

Sasuke hesitated. He had never thought of that. "Um... not if you don't... well..."

Naruto softly chuckled. "I get it. Thank you." He paused. "So... do you want to kiss me?"

"Absolutely."

And as Sasuke did so, Naruto gladly returned the favor.

_Enkaku PD HQ_

Jiraiya watched as his wife threw his TV out of his office window. "Must you always do this?" He asked.

Tsunade paused. She looked at him with a killer glare. "What do you want me to do? That's the _third _girl _this week_, Jiraiya!!"

The white-haired man sighed. "Now be calm, Tsunade. He's a man. It's natural."

"_Natural?! _He fucks every girl he brings here _once _before throwing their asses out on the street! I'm getting sick of it. My son is _not _going to be a whore!" She plopped down on his office chair. "And who do you think you are, having any say in the matter? You write porn every fucking day. To you, he's good ass writing material!"

"Hey! I don't write _all_ day. And I do think it's wrong. But there's no way we can tell him to stop. He's twenty-seven, and out of our hands."

This seemed to calm Tsunade down. "I know, I know." They heard the front door of the department open. _Who the hell would be here at three in the morning?_

"That must be the officer Morino sent here. He told us to leave him to Minato." Jiraiya said.

"What for? Is something going on over at Isogashii**?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "He didn't say much; just that the guy needed some 'guidance' or something."

"Well go get him then. You can show him to Minato's office. Knowing him, he's probably still up. I'm not going anywhere near that boy!"

"Why?!"

"Because! If I see him now, I'll most likely rip his balls off."

Jiraiya, who knew not to argue with her, grumpily made his way to welcome the officer.

–

_Fixed grammatical mistakes._

_* Enkaku is Jiraiya and Tsunade's city. It's pretty much deserted._

** _Isogashii is Sasuke and Naruto's city. It used to be very populated and busy._


	11. Someone Familiar

**Warnings: **_Language._

**Note: **_Chapter is short due to it being handwritten._

--

**C. Eleven;**

_Someone Familiar..._

_Seidai; Enkaku PD_

_Kiba and I have been noticing a lot of officers walking around here lately... almost as if they are searching for something. Kiba went up to one of them a couple of days ago, and all they had said was that they had orders to survey the area for anything out of the ordinary. What on Earth could they be looking for? I've been very careful as to hiding Naruto. You can tell that he's not from around here, so I want to be on the safe side. I get the feeling that something is going to happen real soon. Something... bad._

_--Sasuke_

–

As Kakashi sat and waited for the white-haired man to come back for him, he couldn't help but wonder why Ibiki had been so intent on sending him here. He knew that the chief was supposed to be aiding them in the investigation, but how? The place was deserted, and he highly doubted that they knew of what was happening over at Isogashii!

Unless, of course, Ibiki had informed them. Yes, that makes sense. But still! Being way out here made Kakashi feel useless, or even cast aside. He didn't like that one bit.

But while he was lost in his complaining thoughts, he hadn't realized that a blond man had stopped in front of him until he tapped him (more like _backhanded_ him, the brute) on the shoulder. At this, Kakashi looked up at him, a bit startled at first. _Uzumaki?_

_... No. There would be no way that the kid would be out here._ Then who was this guy? And... were the two related or something?

"Quit your daydreaming. I don't have time for that." The blond gestured for him to stand. "Let me take a look at you. Ibiki told me all about that little predicament over at Isogashii. He only told me the specifics."

"How do you know Ibiki?" Kakashi asked.

The man absently rolled his eyes. "What's it to you? He's a friend of mine; that's all you need to know."

"Do you know why he _really _sent me here? Are you the chief?"

"You ask far too many questions. We'll have to fix that. And yes, I'll find out soon enough. Oh, and I'd _never_ want to take my sorry old man's place as chief. I have better things to do in life than waste it here. I hate law enforcement."

Kakashi took that as a slap to his face. Without the law, God knows how the world would be. Most likely twice as worse as war. "If you detest it so much, why work as an officer?"

The blond smirked. "It has its advantages. Besides, I get paid for doing nothing. Being located out in the middle of nowhere, other than that small town, is cake."

"I see."

"So," the man started. "First off, you'll refer to me as 'sir'. Nothing more, nothing less. You'll obey me. No questions, either, you hear? I don't have to answer to anyone, got it?"

Kakashi was about to say something when 'Sir' spoke again. "And one more thing... don't expect to constantly be up my ass. I need my privacy. In the meantime, maybe you could check out that town I mentioned. Maybe find yourself someone to keep you company."

"But, how will I--"

"Is that a question I hear?" 'Sir' tempted.

Kakashi quickly shook his head. "I will assume you are going to look for me later."

At that, the blond smirked. "You learn fast, Hatake. Keep that up and maybe we'll get along just fine."

Grabbing his coat, Kakashi entertained the idea of going out. He never really had much time to himself, and hey, if the man offered, who was he to refuse?

_Isogashii; Campsite_

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. There was absolutely no _way_... If he hadn't been able to... then how did Naruto...?

Said blond just sat there, an 'I-prevailed-where-you-have-failed' grin on his face. And there, in his right hand, Naruto proudly held a white snow rabbit by its feet. "See? I told you I got it!" Naruto chirped.

Kiba shook his head. "There's just no _way _that you managed to catch that! I've been hunting that thing for weeks!"

The blond pouted. "But I did! You can even ask the teme!"

Narrowing his eyes, Kiba asked, "How do I know that he didn't help you?"

Naruto sighed. "Honestly, it's just a rabbit! It's not even that special!" Then he mumbled, "Poor little thing."

Now, you might be wondering why Kiba is making such an enormous deal about a simple snow rabbit. To be blunt, he's a sore loser. When he had saw that Naruto had managed to catch it before him – the blond even bragged that he did it with his bare hands – his pride took a not-so-gentle punch to the face... putting it lightly. Ah, camp life... with men who have big egos.

Naruto set the rabbit down and got a little serious. "So, have you guys figured out what those officers are looking for?"

"No," Kiba answered, starting to skin the rabbit for dinner. "All they said to me was that they wanted to make sure that things were nothing out of the ordinary, but I know there's more to it than that." His eyes suddenly widened. "They didn't see you when you went hunting with Sasuke, did they?"

Looking up in thought, Naruto shook his head. "I don't think so. I mean, we passed by some of them, but teme had me put on my hood. He says my hair will stand out."

The older man let out a sigh of relief. "Good. We can't risk them seeing you. You're not really from around here, and they would be bound to question you."

"What did I--"

"It's not that you did something wrong," Kiba added, interrupting Naruto. "We just want to... protect you, so to speak. Not only that, but it would be a bother for all of us. For now, we're just going to lay low until this whole thing passes. Which, hopefully, will be soon."

"I see."

Kiba returned to preparing the rabbit. In a way, he felt bad for Naruto. The blond had no idea what he had walked into after they found him in the cave. He and Sasuke were taking extra precaution in keeping Naruto out of sight. If there was even the slightest chance that Naruto is who they are after, all of them will be in big trouble. Kiba didn't really know Naruto, but he could tell that he was hiding something. None of them had confronted him about it. If Naruto had wanted to tell them, he would.

_What is it that you don't want people to know? What's the big secret?_

He sighed, catching Naruto's attention. The brunette hated gloomy atmospheres, so he decided to try and lighten it up a little, starting with cheering Naruto up. And Kiba knew exactly what, or _who_, to talk about.

"What's up with you and Sasuke?" He asked. He was curious to see if his friend had worked up the nerve to tell Naruto that he liked him yet.

A light blush appeared on Naruto's face at the mention of... his _boyfriend's _name. "N-Nothing much. Why?" The blond grew more nervous when he saw Kiba's smirk.

"Ah, I was just wonderin'. He likes you." He was going out on a limb saying that, especially if Sasuke hadn't talked to Naruto.

He saw Naruto smile. "I... Uh-huh. He-He told me. Last night, after everyone went to bed."

"Are you happy?"

The blond nodded. "Yeah! A-Although, I am a bit... nervous. I've never really liked anyone before, or have had someone like me. It's nice though."

The mutt clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, congrats, kid! You know, I haven't seen that broody Uchiha ever take an interest in _anyone _like that before. You must be something special." He noticed Naruto tense. "I also want to thank you for that."

Naruto turned to the man, his eyes wide at the thanks.

"It's about time that Sasuke found someone. While Hinata was here, I would catch Sasuke looking at us with a lonely look in his eyes. He doesn't really like to open up to people, show them that he has feelings like the rest of us."

"... Back when I was in my time period, I never really had anyone to talk to. I only had Madara. Even he wasn't available a lot of the time. He was always in that study of his. There were a few maids here and there, but they were more scared of me than friendly. They didn't like to be around me much."

"I think that you and Sasuke are good for each other," Kiba said. "You both know loneliness. You can connect with him. You can understand him. Sasuke's like a brother to me, man. We've known each other since... man, I can't even remember. I can tell when he's happy."

"Yeah," Naruto chuckled lightly. "I like watching his expressions. When he sees something he doesn't like or he hates, his eyes grow hard and cold. Like he wants nothing to do with it. When he sees something that repulses him," he laughed, "he gets this cute, sour look on his face. His eyes light up when something pleases him or makes him happy."

Kiba was impressed at how observant Naruto was. "You're okay, man. Now, wanna help me prepare this rabbit? I bow to your skill."

Naruto laughed once more. "Sure."

_Enkaku; Small town bar_

Kakashi tried not to choke as smoke filled his lungs while he sat on his bar stool, waiting for his drink. This was the first time he had ever been to a bar, believe it or not, and so far, he wasn't enjoying any of it. The people stank of alcohol, nicotine, and body odor – Kakashi shuddered – and the place had little-to-no elbow room.

On his left was a heavy, somewhat built man. He had hair on his arms, chest, very little on his head. What was worse was that you could see the man's back hair piling on the hem of his collar. Body hair grossed Kakashi out. Well, some was okay and natural, but that was disgusting. He took pride in his waxing.

On his left, was a man around his age. He had brown hair and beautiful chocolate eyes. He -- thank heavens -- was not hairy at all compared to the other man next to him. In a way, Kakashi felt drawn to him. The man's comforting aura seemed to calm him. He sensed that he was a good man.

When he got his drink, he took sips at first, the alcohol burning his throat on its way down. Did he mention that he had never drank before? He drew back at the taste, and that's when he caught the gentle man's attention.

"Is this your first time drinking?" His voice was kind and tender.

Kakashi turned to him. "Uh, yeah. I don't go out much." He noticed that the man looked him up and down. He fought the urge to shudder... but not in a bad way.

"I see your an officer. Do you work for Jiraiya?"

"Who?"

"Sannin Jiraiya. He's the chief of police around here. I was just curious because of your uniform."

"Jiraiya is the name of the chief?" Asked Kakashi.

"Yeah. He looks to be in his late fifties or something. No on knows for sure. His son's name is Minato, the blond." He paused. "My name is Umino Iruka. My dad runs this bar."

Kakashi felt stupid having forgot to introduce himself. He shook Iruka's hand. "Hatake Kakashi. And to answer your question from earlier, I don't work for the force here. I'm from Isogashii."

Iruka's eyes widened. "So far away? What for?"

Sighing, Kakashi took another sip of his beer. "I guess that the chief here was supposed to help me with a case from my home town, but... instead, he sent his son for me."

"If Minato is looking after you, you better be on your toes. He's not a very kind and generous man. Some say he's a player."

"Really?"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah. He has a new girl on his arm almost daily. No one says anything though. Minato can be very intimidating. He doesn't take crap from anyone."

The two continued to talk for a while. During their conversation, Kakashi realized that he liked speaking with Iruka. He was easy to talk to, and he was a very kind person. Kakashi liked the man's laugh, and the way his eye's sparkled when he found something amusing.

The officer froze. He was... attracted to Iruka. He shook his head. No. That can't be. He most certainly was _not_ interested in men. He wasn't--

"Are you okay?"

Iruka's soft question broke Kakashi out of his trance. "Yes. I'm fine. Sorry. I was just thinking about something."

The brunette looked down at his watch. "It's getting really late. Dad wants me to help look after the bar tomorrow, so I best be getting home." He stood. "It was really nice meeting you, Hatake-san."

"Wait," the officer said quickly. "Maybe... we could get together some time. You're really... nice to talk to. When Minato isn't pushing me around, maybe we could get something to eat or something." Kakashi couldn't help but feel as though he was asking Iruka on a date.

Smiling, Iruka nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. You're nice to talk to as well. See you around officer."

Kakashi drank the rest of his alcohol and then smiled. His stay might not be as miserable as he had thought.

–

_Fixed grammar bunnies._


	12. Interrogation and Romance

**Warnings: **_Very light intimacy._

–

**C. Twelve;**

_Interrogation and Romance..._

_Isogashii PD; Interrogation Room_

_Not many things can ruin my day. I normally take things as they come, and just deal with it. But today... well, let's just say that no one will be sleeping tonight. It all started around noon, when those officers came by. We hid Naruto, but he wasn't the one the officers had wanted. What the hell do they want with Sasuke? What on Earth could he have possibly of done??_

_--Kiba_

–

In the small, claustrophobic room, Sasuke sat at one end of the medium sized metal table, his arms crossed at his chest. He leaned back in the uncomfortable chair he was commanded to sit in, glaring at the three men sitting opposite him. He smirked inwardly when he noticed his glaring had frightened one of them, appearing to be the youngest of the bunch.

Two of the three men took their time with staring at him, almost as if they were evaluating him. The bulky man spoke up first, his voice a commanding presence. "So, Uchiha Sasuke, right?"

Sasuke replied with a "Hn." He'll be damned if he say anything without a good reason as to why they had dragged him there.

The bulky man didn't show how Sasuke's response had angered him. "Hm. My name is Ibiki, I'm the chief here at the headquarters. This man here, sitting next to me, is Hyuuga Neji. The one at the table over there is just here to record the questioning."

"Questioning? What for? I have done nothing wrong for you to have brought me here," Sasuke said.

Ibiki leaned forward on his elbows, his hands twined together. "It's not that you have done anything wrong," he tried to clarify. "But, you see, we have a slight problem on our hands, and we think you may have some information that could help us."

"Hn."

"Please try to understand, Uchiha-san," Neji said. "We just want to get to the bottom of this mess, you see..."

"What mess?" Sasuke asked.

Neji straightened in his seat. "During the previous bomb raid, an officer from this department stumbled upon a... capsule, let's say. Inside, he found a folder inside, and brought it back here."

_Folder? _Sasuke thought. _Kiba and I didn't see any folders inside...._

"I was the one put in charge of deciphering the code within," Neji continued, not noticing Sasuke's sudden mood change. "We understand that inside that capsule, was a person... a man, to be exact. He is considered to be very dangerous, from what we have learned."

"What do I have to do with any of this?"

Neji took out the folder from on top of his lap and set it on the table. He then opened it and handed the note that was left from the creator to Sasuke. "The man who created this being is named Madara. He was part of a group of scientists who tried their hand at making human beings."

Sasuke nodded occasionally at what Neji was saying while reading the letter.

"But Madara was the only one to succeed. I guess he put the man through random tests, where he found out what horrendous and powerful a gift the being had deep within him. The being was loyal to Madara, an Uchiha, so, we believe that if the being was wandering around on its own, it might--"

"Come to me," Sasuke finished. He set the letter on the table once he finished reading. What a genius Neji must be. Yes, Naruto had stayed with him, but he knew that it was no longer because of the fact that he looked like Madara.

If these men thought that Sasuke would rat Naruto out to them – even though they had no idea Naruto was the being they were speaking of – they were dead wrong.

"That capsule you were talking about," Sasuke started, "I have seen it. But... it was open when we found it. I don't recall seeing a folder, but then again, my friend and I – and no, I'm not giving you names – didn't really look inside."

"Why didn't you report it?" Ibiki asked, a hint of seriousness in his tone. "If there was the slightest chance that that capsule was from the enemy, it would have been too late to do anything about it. It's policy."

"Well, excuse me for not upholding it," Sasuke replied sarcastically. He had about enough of these men. "What's the point of bringing me here? If you don't have one, then I would like to leave."

Ibiki grit his teeth, as to not lash out at the Uchiha. The man was proving to be quite the smart-ass. "The point is that this _thing _could be running around under our noses. If we don't find it and kill it, who knows what will happen!"

A flash of anger jolted through Sasuke. How dare they act as though Naruto were some sort of animal, or anything short of a human being. Naruto was far from what these men were pegging him to be. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I have no idea of whom you speak of. I also haven't sensed anything out of the ordinary, besides the guards parading around."

Sighing in frustration, Ibiki ran a hand over his face. "Look. Just try and grasp what we're telling you. We have no idea what this thing is capable of. All we know is that it's dangerous, and has some sort of power unknown to us. And with the knowledge of it being able to spawn, we have to act fast before it finds somethi-- some_one_ to mate with."

Sasuke knit his brows in confusion. "Spawn? As in reproduce?"

"Yes," Ibiki replied. "We don't know how Madara was able to let this thing reproduce successfully, or even how it would, seeming it is a male, but we can't risk finding out how long it takes or what kind of offspring it will produce."

Swallowing thickly, Sasuke tried to process what the chief was saying. From what he gathered, the being – _Naruto_ – could have... kids? Since when was Naruto ever going to tell him this? Or was it even true?

Nonetheless, Sasuke forced himself to say, "I understand. I'll let you know if I see anything or anyone out of the ordinary. May I go now?"

The chief stared at Sasuke momentarily, but gave him the okay to leave. When he was sure Sasuke couldn't hear him, he turned to Neji and said, "He seems awfully suspicious for someone who has no idea about this _thing_."

Neji agreed. "Perhaps... we're just overlooking things. We have guards patrolling their area constantly, so if they found anyone that strikes them as odd, we would have someone here by now."

"I don't think we should rule out this Uchiha kid just yet," Ibiki suggested. "I'll phone Minato about Kakashi in about two weeks, to see how the training is progressing. If he meets my expectations, we'll bring him back."

"What for?" Neji questioned.

"Hatake has been the only one to get close enough to the Uchiha and not raise any suspicion from him. If we want to be stealthy about this, we'll need him."

Neji focused his gaze on the folder lying on the table. "I suppose. I just hope we're wrong about this Sasuke. I don't have a very good feeling about any of this."

–

"But why did they take him?!" an angry and confused Naruto yelled.

Kiba threw his hands up. "I don't know, blondie! I don't!"

"It's because of me, isn't it? They took him because of me!!"

Kawatta watched on hopelessly as Naruto and her father bickered. Movement caught her attention and a smile burst out on her face. "Dad!" She tugged of her father's shirt, catching his attention. "'Suke's back! He's okay!"

Both men turned to where she was pointing, and Naruto sighed in relief as she was right. Sasuke was home, and the best part was that he was okay, safe.

As the Uchiha got closer, Naruto couldn't help but wonder that something was wrong with him. Kiba and Kawatta seemed blind to it, but Naruto knew. He could see it as though he were looking at the stars in a clear, dark blue sky.

Kiba asked Sasuke questions about his trip to the PD, and Sasuke answered each one without hesitation. He noted that he saw Neji there, a cousin Hinata rarely spoke of. All was fine until the raven's attention was on Naruto.

The blond's heart sank when he was a look of confusion and doubt swim in his boyfriend's eyes. _Why are you looking at me like that?_

"Naruto..." Sasuke clenched his fists, trying to think of what to say. "Tent."

Naruto gulped and nodded, upset about Sasuke's behavior. He turned to Kiba, who shrugged. "I don't know what his problem is. It's best if you just follow him," he said.

"I... okay." Naruto hesitantly sat down next to Sasuke in the tent, noticing that Sasuke was arguing with himself silently. What had happened at the station to make Sasuke act like this?

"They... took me in for questioning," Sasuke said shakily. "They asked me about... you."

Naruto's blue eyes grew wide. "They know about me?!"

"Not exactly. They know that 'you' are free, and that you were--" Sasuke stopped. The confusion was back again. "They said some things... that confuse me. They showed me a letter that Madara wrote, and it contained... information about you."

Fear gripped Naruto's heart like barbed wire. He could feel the pricks of tears form in his eyes. "What kind of information, Sasuke?" he whispered.

Those doubtful eyes were back on him again as Sasuke spoke. "What are you, Naruto? Are you truly human... or something else?"

The tears fell from Naruto's eyes as he stared at the ground. "I'm human," he whispered, almost as if he were trying to convince himself. "I... I just woke up on a table, connected to machines... and he was there..."

"Please don't lie to me Naruto," Sasuke advised. "Just tell me the truth."

Naruto shook his head. "I can't! If I do, you'll think I'm some sort of freak!"

"I won't."

"How can I be sure? How do I know that you won't run away as soon as I tell you?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not quite perfectly 'normal' myself," Sasuke ground out. _Why can't you just tell me the truth? What about our trust Naruto?_

_  
I don't want you to leave me. I... I need you, Sasuke. _Shaking his head once more, Naruto wiped at his eyes, even though it did no good. "I don't want you to hate me. I _need_ you, Sasuke. To live."

_I know, _Sasuke thought. _But is that all you need me for? _"I won't hate you," he said softly, gripping Naruto's chin gently to force Naruto to look him in the eyes. "At this point, I can't. Just tell me the truth, that way we can get past this," Sasuke reasoned. "I won't tell anyone, it will just be between us, unless you want the others to know."

Naruto took in a shrill breath. "I'm human," he repeated, this time more firmly. "I have a heart that beats, and lungs that let air fill me. I feel, I bleed... I'm human." He shut his eyes. "Madara-sama... cre... created me. I suppose I'm... I wasn't brought here by normal means."

"See?" Sasuke smiled softly. "That wasn't so hard. I'm still here."

Naruto smiled as well, opening his eyes slowly. "That's honestly pretty much all I know. He didn't tell me much. A life was traded for mine."

Sasuke kept his hand on Naruto's chin, to assure himself that Naruto wouldn't run away. "What's the big secret, Naruto? Besides your creation... and this 'power' they said you have."

"You know about that?" Naruto said, disbelief laced in his words.

Sasuke nodded slowly. "They just said that you had a strong power within you. That's all." He sighed. "Back on track. What's the secret, Naruto?"

The blond tensed. "I don't want to tell you."

Onyx eyes narrowed. "Why? Why is this so hard?"

"Because!" Naruto yelled, breaking out of Sasuke's grasp. "I'm a _man_! I should not be able to do the things I am able to!"

"Like what?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"You should know!" Naruto was glaring at him now. "I see it in your eyes. You know _exactly_ what I can do! _They told you_!!"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't care? I'm still here, with _you_," the raven pointed out. "I just want you to tell me, I want _your_ word, not theirs. I'm not _dating_ them."

For a moment, Naruto stopped. _I'm not **dating** them. _He couldn't help but agree with Sasuke. He was, as he said, still here, even though he knew Naruto wasn't normal, and could do things a man shouldn't. Sasuke wanted _his_ word, _his_ confirmation, instead of jumping to conclusions. He then realized that not only was this hard for himself, but it was also hard for Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to urge Naruto once more, "What can you do, Naruto?"

Naruto tried to stop his hands from shaking, and tried to hold Sasuke's gaze. "I can... I can conceive, Sasuke," Naruto said in a hushed voice, so the others would have no chance of hearing him. "Madara-sama didn't say how, or why. He just said that I should feel special that I can without dying in the process."

"Is that why... when it comes to things like intimacy, you get scared?"

"Intimacy?" Naruto ran the word over his tongue. "I don't know what that is."

"The intimacy I'm talking about--"

"There's more than one?"

Sasuke smiled at Naruto's curiosity. Things had simmered down to a normal level once more, almost in an instant. Things were okay again. "Yeah, but the kind I'm talking about is the same as... Kiba and Hinata."

Naruto shuddered at the memory. "That's intimacy?"

"Yes. And I have a feeling that the reason you're scared of it is because of your unique... 'gift'."

_How can he read me so well? _Naruto nodded. "Partly."

Naruto was glad that everything was out in the open between them – at least on Naruto's part, though the blond figured Sasuke probably didn't have things he needed to hide. It felt like a weight was lifted off of him, and he was overjoyed with the fact that Sasuke was still with him, and not scared or disgusted.

"So... none of this scares you... or worries you?" Naruto asked before he could help himself.

Shaking his head, Sasuke replied, "Not at all. I don't care about anything of that. I only care about the _real_ you, Naruto. The one on the inside."

"What happens if... we get... 'intimate', like those two?" The blush that overtook Naruto's cheeks was unstoppable. Naruto himself couldn't believe that he was asking such a question. Judging by the look on Sasuke's face, he couldn't either.

The Uchiha cleared his throat at the growing awkward tension in the air, which seemed to not affect Naruto (either that, or he was oblivious to it, which was one of his many talents). "I... don't know. I have thought about that, but I don't think it's anything we have to worry about."

"Why not?"

"Well, because we..." Sasuke sighed. "It's hard to explain."

Naruto smiled sadly at him. "Hey, I get it. It's because I told you, right?"

"No! It's not... I've never pictured myself with someone like that," he said, not noticing how Naruto scooted closer to him. "I'm normally this distant, cold-hearted bastard who came from a family of traitors, and yet... I want..."

"Want what?" Naruto asked softly. He wanted Sasuke to open up to him, tell him what he was feeling, let him in. _Trust_ him.

When Sasuke looked up, he locked their gazes. Naruto's eyes widened once more at what they held. His breath caught, and an unknown feeling stirred deep within him.

"I..." Sasuke paused, regaining his composure. "I find myself wanting you."

Naruto felt like reaching out to Sasuke, and show him that Naruto was there. But then again, he didn't. "Well," Naruto started, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I guess we're on the same page then." He took Sasuke's hand in his. "But I want you to know that you don't _have_ to be the Sasuke that everyone else sees. You can let your guard down around me. Be as out of character as you want."

"Me? Out of character? Right." He glanced down at his hand in Naruto's.

"We have all the time in the world," Naruto said happily. "We can even take baby steps."

Sasuke shook his head playfully at Naruto's bright-as-the-sun smile. "Baby steps, huh?"

The blond nodded his head quickly. "Yep."

Sasuke tugged on the hand within his, bringing Naruto even closer to him. Naruto's blush was back, for he could feel Sasuke's breath hit his face. "Sasuke?"

"How about we climb that first step together?"

And with no further warning, Sasuke closed the distance between them, holding Naruto close. He never felt this way toward another, but he figured that everything would work itself out. All he wanted to do was feel Naruto, and, for once in his life, be completely selfish.

Naruto pulled away (though he didn't really want to) and said, "Kiba-san and Kawatta are outside. Even though we're probably not going to do much, still--"

Sasuke shut him up by busying Naruto's mouth with his own. "Kiba knows better. I know better. Let me explore a little, dobe."

Naruto pouted a huffed, "At least let me get comfortable. I feel a bit awkward sitting like this." The blond then straddled Sasuke, and draped his arms over the man's shoulders. "Hm. I really think this is a bad idea... but, if you say we'll be fine, then I believe you."

Shyly, Naruto pressed his lips on Sasuke's, enjoying the fluttering in his tummy as he did so. This was he first time he had initiated a kiss, and he was happy to know that Sasuke didn't mind. The Uchiha accepted him, even when he knew his dark secrets.

When Sasuke asked for entrance, Naruto didn't dare say no. But when he felt Sasuke's tongue hit his, he squeaked and pulled back, covering his mouth.

Sasuke just laughed at him. "What's wrong?"

"Your... it touched... mine... and--" Naruto carried on with his stutters, not really knowing what he was saying.

"Do you not like it?" Sasuke asked.

"It's not that," Naruto said. "It just feels weird."

"I assure you, dobe, that the more we do this, the less weird it will feel."

Blue eyes looked at him skeptically. "I'm trusting you, teme."

Sasuke brought Naruto's lips back on his own, starting off gently before he asked permission once more. This time around, Naruto was more hesitant, but nonetheless obliged. When their tongues met, Naruto didn't back away. Instead, he moved his against Sasuke's, slowly, leisurely. He savored the other's taste, and was in no hurry to speed things up.

Sasuke wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, using the other to lift the blond's shirt up a little. He didn't want to scare Naruto off by going too fast. So far, Naruto was responding, and seemed to be enjoying himself. He actually liked the feeling of the raven's hands running softly up his back, his warmth adding to his own. Sasuke was being so patient with him, and Naruto would have it no other way.

He pulled back for a breath, staring into Sasuke's eyes. He smiled, quickly pecking their lips. "Teme."

"What?" Sasuke's voice was breathy, and came out in light pants. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Naruto ran his hand through Sasuke's hair. "I like this."

"You do?"

"Mhmm." The blond let out a content sigh and snuggled into Sasuke's chest. "A lot, actually." His eyes started to close. "You don't mind if I take a nap, do you?"

"No, Naruto. Not at all."

–

_Fix grammar errors. The next chapter should be up quickly since editing has been done. Be on the look out._


	13. Training

**Warnings:**_ Language._

**C. Thirteen;**

_Training_

_Enkaku; Training room_

_Before I came to Enkaku, I was absolutely positive that I was going to conduct research and investigations that was going to help back home. But apparently, I had been lied to. I wasn't sent here to investigate... I was sent here for training and discipline._

– _Kakashi_

–

"Come on, hit it harder," Minato demanded. "Throw your whole arm into it."

"I'm trying," Kakashi panted, landing a hit on the training dummy in front of him. Minato had set it up for him before he arrived to the training room.

The blond man scoffed. "Look at you. Not even an hour into it and you're already worn out."

Kakashi stopped hitting the artificial doll. "With all due respect," he started, "my particular line of work doesn't have the definite need for this."

"You're an officer, correct?" Minato questioned.

"Well, yes-"

"Then this _is_ needed." The blond then sighed. "You were sent here because you obviously don't have what it takes to handle the situation over at your city. _My_ job is to make sure that you _can_ handle it. And that's _not_ going to happen if you continue to complain as you are."

"I get what you're saying, _Sir_," Kakashi stated, "but I can handle it. I don't _need_ all of this training. I've already undergone it while I was training at the academy."

Smirking, Minato said, "I hear you have some sort of soft spot for an Uchiha back at Isogashii."

Kakashi stared at him. He didn't exactly have a 'soft spot' for the Uchiha. He would still call the boy out despite his lineage. It was his duty, of course. "And who told you this?"

"Ibiki did." A hint of amusement was in Minato's tone. "In fact, he suspects that you're just one big softy."

The officer grit his teeth. "Well, he is mistaken."

"What's the deal then?"

"What on Earth do you mean, Sir?"

"I mean, they've noticed how lenient you have been to some of the refugees, _especially_ the Uchiha. And if you're serious about your profession, _officer_," Minato said, staring Kakashi in the eye, "there is no room for leniency."

Kakashi stood there silently. Being in a state of war, despair, loneliness, and especially death, Kakashi didn't want to further burden the people. So when he saw a refugee or two sneak some extra food from the food tent, he paid no mind to it, though it was, technically, stealing. Unlike himself, they didn't have the luxury of being able to eat what and how much they want.

"My leniency," the gray-haired man said, "has nothing to do with my passion and talent for my position. You can't see what's happening in Isogashii. You can't see how little the people have, and what they have to do to live. If it were anything serious, of course I would do whatever it took to reprimand them, for it's my duty to do so, but something so minor as sneaking a little more of a meal they might not have the next day is nothing to lock them up for."

Studying the officer, Minato smirked once more. "You know... I can tell you're not a bad man, Hatake. Even so, I can see that you haven't nearly reached your peak potential."

"Sir?"

Laughing, Minato said, "You have a long way to go, but I believe that you could be a great officer, with the proper training and guidance. The reason I'm having you buff up on your physical skills is because you cannot always rely on a weapon to save you. Understand?"

Though he was a little confused due to the rapid change of subject, he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Minato checked his watch. "Hm. It's getting late, and I have a hot date tonight."

Kakashi shook his head. "I can carry on by myself."

"You had better." Minato then got in the other man's face. "I'll know if you don't."

Without another word, Minato left the training room. Standing there by himself, Kakashi glanced at the dummy. Lazily, he punched it. _This is ridiculous._

He wondered what Minato would do if he had skipped out on training anyway. He could probably go to the town, and treat himself to an expensive sushi dinner. Or go to that bar, where Iruka was, to see if he was working. Anywhere but being alone.

Kakashi shook his head again. _This is absolutely ridiculous_, he thought. Frustrated, he struck the dummy with more force than the last hit.

_I hate this I hate this I hate this._

A kick to the bull's eye on the dummy's straw chest.

_He wants me out of the way. He thinks I'm worthless. He thinks I'm soft. Useless. Overly lenient. Soft soft soft._

Spinning, Kakashi planted his elbow on the dummy's face, nearly knocking it over.

_He doesn't trust me. After what I have done for that fucking place, he doesn't trust me._

With every hit, his frustration doubled.

_I hate being pushed aside. I hate being left out. I hate being called soft. I hate Ibiki for sending me to a dump like this. I hate I hate I hate I hate I hate –_

"Aah!" He yelled out of pure anger.

As he continued raining his fists upon the dummy, he didn't notice the smirking pair of blue eyes that watched him through the crack in the door before they slowly disappeared.

–

"So... how has your training gone?" Jiraiya, the white-haired chief of police, asked Kakashi over a beer at the bar.

Kakashi wasn't sure how to act around the man, for he had not spoke with him much since he arrived two weeks ago. So when the chief offered to treat him to a drink at the bar where Iruka worked, he was a little shocked. "It's going well. I've gotten stronger, for sure. My reflexes have also improved. Your son is a wonderful... instructor."

Jiraiya laughed, obviously a little buzzed. "Eh. He can be a great man when he wants. I only wish he wasn't as much of a ladies' man as he is."

"Ah, the women. I have only seen glimpses of them, but know that they're there when he abandons me to train by myself."

"He's going to end up impregnating one of these ladies some day," the chief scoffed. "Then what? Dump the kids on me and Tsunade? I think not."

"Speaking of your wife," Kakashi started, "I have never formally met her."

"Tsunade isn't really the social type. A total prude in bed, too. Can't do a thing to please her." He took a swig of his beer. "But I do love 'er. That's for sure."

"Even though you spy in on other women?"

Laughing, Jiraiya said, "As if you don't like my novels. I've seen you read them."

"Well... yes, but-"

"Everyone has their skeletons. Seeking out inspiration by peeping in on naked women is just one of mine." He glanced over at Kakashi. "What about you? Do you have any bad secrets?"

"No," the man replied, chuckling. "I don't do anything to result in those." He paused. "If reading your novels is a skeleton, then..."

Jiraiya laughed again, then gave a hard pat on Kakashi's back. "I like you. You're a good guy, too, y'know?"

"I suppose."

They sat quietly amidst all of the chatter, drinking, and smoking going on in the bar. Kakashi didn't drink much of the beers Jiraiya kept ordering. But he soon realized that the chief could really keep them down. One after another, they went down in the white-haired man's seemingly bottomless stomach.

Despite Jiraiya's attempt at cheering him up, he still felt that stab of betrayal directed from Ibiki to himself. Training wasn't so much training anymore, by definition, but instead had turned into a way for him to safely vent out his frustration and anger. Minato didn't seem to be complaining. In fact, he was thrilled.

"_You have found your drive,"_ the blond had said. _"But remember, Hatake – hatred shouldn't be the only thing spurring you on."_

Kakashi had understood. Relying on hatred alone was idiotic. And if he was anything, it sure wasn't idiotic. _For now, it'll suffice. For now, at least until I can go back home._

"How about another round of booze? If Tsunade shows up, you can forget about getting any alcohol. She'd have it scarfed down so fast, you wouldn't believe your eyes."

Politely, Kakashi declined. "No, thank you. I should probably be heading back to my quarters at the station. It's past ten as it is."

"Alright then, lad. It was nice, er... bonding with you or whatever." He wrinkled his brows. "And uh, make sure to be safe out there! Who knows what kind of troublemakers are out at this time of night."

"Yes, sir," Kakashi assured, throwing in a playful mock salute, which Jiraiya returned.

On his way out, he spotted a familiar figure outside of the bar, cozied up to an unknown one on the bench. When his eyes grew used to the light, the familiar figure morphed into Iruka, and the other was a pretty middle-aged woman. By their closeness – as well as their light kisses – it didn't take Kakashi long to figure out what they were to each other.

As he began to walk away, Iruka noticed him. Immediately, he smiled, standing alongside the woman. "Kakashi!" he called out. "Hey, got a second?"

Hesitating, he debated whether or not to stop walking. "Oh, Iruka. I didn't see you there." He bowed slightly to the woman. "My name's Kakashi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She smiled. "Lilith. It's nice to meet you as well."

Iruka said proudly, "This is my wife. I've been waiting to introduce the both of you."

"Iruka has told me so much about you. You're from another city, right?"

"Ah, yes. My stay here is only temporary."

"Speaking of temporary," Iruka started questioningly, "have you heard word of when you're leaving?"

Somehow, Kakashi got the feeling that Iruka wanted him gone. But how silly was that? "I heard from Minato that Ibiki was wondering how my training was progressing. He said that if all went well, I could go back sometime next week."

Iruka's face fell. "Next week? We won't be able to see you off."

"Yes, that's when we plan on leaving for our second honeymoon..."

"Don't let me stop you. And I should really be getting back to the HQ. I have early training tomorrow, so if you'll excuse me." Swiftly, Kakashi retreated from their view, an urgency to return to his quarters more pressing than before.

–

"All right!" Minato said, clapping his hands together. "Since you only have about a week left of your training, I think it's time for you to use your newly acquired combat skills in a real-fight scenario."

Kakashi turned his attention away from the training dummy to focus it on Minato. "About time," Kakashi stated, relieved. "Toying with this dummy is getting old. I've wasted about two weeks on this."

"I had to hone your skills before I put them to the test," explained Minato. He put a finger up when an idea struck him. "Follow me," he ordered.

Shrugging, Kakashi obeyed. Minato had lead them to the field behind the police building. It was mostly flat land, with trees you could spot at a distance. It also appeared to be very well kept.

"This is where you'll train until you leave," the blond announced. "This field is perfect."

"If you don't mind my asking– " He stopped when Minato sent a glare his way. "... Right."

"If you're wondering what all we're going to do out here, it's simple." Minato turned to stand opposite from Kakashi. "First off, you and I are going to have a little spar." The blond smiled.

"I'm going to fight you."

Minato nodded. "Yes. And I want you to be serious. You need to come at me with the intent of killing me. Nothing less will be acceptable."

Scoffing, Kakashi said, "I'm sure it will be no problem."

Minato let out a loud laugh. "You've got guts! You're not the only one who's trained, Hatake." At the questioning look he received from the officer, Minato smirked. "I surpass you. I'm faster, and my coordination is superb."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. _He must really think high of himself._ Conceited bastard. "I don't care. I think I can handle anything you can throw at me."

"Oh, _really_?" Minato asked teasingly. He then crouched slightly. "Then show me what you got."

Without hesitation, Kakashi crouched as well. "I'll hit you with everything I've got!"

With no further prompting, Kakashi lurched forward, pulling out a small blade from his back pouch. Minato stayed where he was, watching the other intensely. Every shift Kakashi made, blue eyes followed. As Kakashi drew nearer, the blond started to draw back slightly.

Noticing this, Kakashi grew smug. When he was an arm's-length away from Minato, he raised his weapon-wielding arm, and swung his blade which aimed for the blond's neck. For a split second, Kakashi thought that he had succeeded. He could taste victory on the tip of his tongue. But that feeling soon shattered when he focused on the blank area where Minato had stood just moments ago.

He then felt a slow chill run up his spine when he felt breathing on his neck. Swiftly, Minato caught Kakashi's arm in mid-swing, twisting it back behind the officer's head in a painful grip. Kakashi winced at the force Minato put in the hold, but made no sound. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when he heard a dark voice whisper, "You have to be faster than that, _Hatake_."

Squinting his eyes in anger, Kakashi spun around – despite the awkward position of his arm – and thrusted his free arm forward to hit Minato square in the chest, but scowled when said man released his arm, crouched, then swung his leg to collide with Kakashi's, effectively tripping him.

Panting, Kakashi made no attempt to stand. Instead, he gazed up at Minato with disbelieving eyes. "How did you...?"

Minato smirked once more. "I told you – I'm faster than you are. I can tell what you are planning to do before you even do it."

"Care to explain?" Kakashi asked.

"It's simple. By watching one's body movement, you can get a feel for what the enemy is planning to do, in terms of attack. By the way your muscles tensed just now, I knew you were going to try to counterattack by spinning and launching your fist at me. Before you even realized that you were going to attempt it, your body gave you away." He paused to see if Kakashi was going to comment, but when he didn't, he decided to continue.

"Part of the reason I want you to train in live-action scenarios is for the purpose of training your body to hide such things from your opponents. Your plans are of no use if the enemy can gauge your battle strategy before you can even execute it." He offered a hand to Kakashi. "Now, get up and let's try again, shall we?" Minato grinned

Raising a curious brow, Kakashi accepted the hand that had been offered to him and was quickly raised back onto his feet. "Yes sir."

Taking a few steps back, Kakashi fell into his stance, relaxing his body. As he lunged forward once again, excitement racked through his system. _I won't make the same mistakes again. I'll defeat you._

From a concealed place near the training field, Jiraiya watched his son take down the officer time and again. Wow. _This guy really needs some work. Up against Minato, he doesn't stand a chance._ With intent eyes, he continued to watch the two. To see how skilled his son was made a swelling of pride make itself known in his heart.

_That's my boy_, he thought, a smile on his face. _Whip some sense into that young man, like I know you can._

_Isogashii; Police HQ_

Ibiki sat alone in his office, re-watching the interrogation video they had taken when they had Uchiha Sasuke in custody. He watched the boy's expressions at each question intently, as if assessing they're validity.

_Something is off about this kid, like he knows something we don't_, he thought. _He seemed very defensive through the whole questioning, which makes me suspicious. _"And the fact that he didn't report anything is odd as well," he said to himself.

Ibiki cursed. This Uchiha kid was hiding something. And he was going to make sure he found out what that _something _was.

–

_Extremely late, I know. Life is a bit hectic right now, so I have had little to no time to write._

_Here is chapter thirteen. I surely hope it was somewhat worth the long wait. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I will try my best to clear them up for you. I also apologize that the action-y scenes are not that great. I'm not that skilled in writing them._

_Thanks for reading!_


	14. Free Time

**Warnings: **_Some fluff._

**C. Fourteen;**

_Free Time_

_Seidai; Campsite_

Since I can't really venture away from the campsite by myself, I normally just spend time hanging around Kawatta. Sasuke's usually hunting with Kiba, so, unfortunately, we don't get to spend too much time together. However, he always makes it up to me by taking me out on walks through the woods nearby. I'd have to say that the best thing about those walks is that Sasuke's there holding my hand the entire time.

– Naruto

"I haven't seen any of those police assholes parading around here lately," Kiba said, poking the camp fire with a twig he found around the camp. He and Sasuke had just finished hunting for the day; the rabbit that they had caught already skinned and prepped for the stew.

"Maybe they've finally found something else to do with their lives," Sasuke commented. "I don't miss them one bit."

"Yeah well," Kiba started, "you never know. They could be planning something."

Sasuke glanced at the tent behind him before focusing back on Kiba. "I'd rather not think about it."

Not commenting, Kiba tossed the prepared rabbit into the boiling pot that lingered over the fire. "We're going to have to find something else to hunt. Winter's nearly over."

"I'm sure we'll manage." He stirred the pot for Kiba while said man went to his tent (the one to the right of his own which was located directly behind him) to check on his daughter. When he returned, Sasuke asked, "How is she?"

Kiba sighed as he sat back down on the log opposite Sasuke. "Better than yesterday. Still has a fever." The look in his eyes showed how worried he was. He knew that Kawatta was bound to get sick eventually, especially with the bitter cold spell they had last week, but it didn't make him any less concerned. He glanced up at Sasuke. "What about Naruto? Didn't he catch a fever, too?"

Sasuke nodded. "He's still asleep. Sort of confused, since this is his first time being ill, but other than that, he seems to be doing fine."

"That good to hear," Kiba said with a smile. "Poor guy has had it rough, what with all the officers out to get him. Now he's sick."

They didn't say more after that, but instead sat in silence as the stew simmered. While Kiba was thinking of what they were going to hunt once Spring came, Sasuke's mind was stuck on Naruto. Naruto, unlike Kawatta, had it worse than she did. His fever was more severe, and he couldn't bring himself to leave the tent unless Sasuke had helped him.

Never in his life had Sasuke seen someone so ill. It more than worried him. _If it gets any worse, we'll __have to take him to see a doctor_, he thought. _But considering the risks that come with that, I'd rather not have it come to that point._

"Yo, Sasuke," Kiba said, breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts. "Don't worry so much. He'll pull through."

Sighing softly, Sasuke replied, "I hope so." He stirred the stew once more. "I think dinner's done." Picking up a bowl from the stack that was located near his feet, he filled the bowl full of stew. He set it next to him as he did the same with three other bowls. "I'll take Naruto's to him once it cools."

Kiba agreed. "I'll do the same for Kawatta's."

They ate in silence. Without the rambunctious Naruto and Kawatta, the camp was all too quiet. Sasuke found that he didn't care for this type of silence, so he decided that he would go to bed earlier. Picking up Naruto's bowl, he stood and stretched.

"I'm going to head to bed," he told Kiba. "I'll bring out the bowl in the morning."

Kiba waved slightly. "It's all good. I'll clean up out here, then see if I can get Kawatta to eat before going to bed myself."

Bidding Kiba a good night, Sasuke headed for the tent he shared with Naruto. Crawling into the tent, he paused to see Naruto wrapped up in the thin blanket they shared, panting lightly with a somewhat pained expression on his face. The sight made his heart clench.

Slowly, he inched his way closer to the blond, lightly grasping Naruto's shoulder to gently shake him awake. With a start, Naruto slowly opened hazy blue eyes. He smiled slightly. "Sasuke."

"I brought you some stew," Sasuke whispered, helping Naruto sit up.

"Thanks," Naruto said. He began to take small bites, coughing every now and then. When he was finished, he shakily set the bowl down. "It was good."

"Kiba made it, so you'll have to thank him tomorrow." Sasuke frowned when he noticed that Naruto was shivering. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Huh?" Naruto said, as if he had spaced out. He then smiled again. "Yeah, I'm fine. How's Kawatta?"

"She's getting better." Naruto's shaking didn't escape him. "Are you _sure_ that you're okay?"

"_Yes_, Sasuke, wh-"

"If you were," Sasuke added quickly, "then you wouldn't be shaking as badly as you are."

Naruto frowned. "It's probably because I've never been sick before," he suggested. Naruto didn't like the intensity of Sasuke's eyes on him. He could _feel_ Sasuke's concern, which made him upset. He lifted his hand to cup Sasuke's left cheek. "I'm fine, so please stop worrying so much."

"I can't," the other said, somewhat harshly. "You're worse than Kawatta. Instead of getting better, you're getting worse. Your fever is still high, you can't go outside of the tent without falling on your face, and now this shaking or whatever it is is starting to become a problem as well. You're telling me not to worry?"

"I'm sorry," Naruto whispered softly. His hand fell onto his knees.

Sighing, Sasuke claimed the hand that Naruto had let fall. "Don't be. I shouldn't have... did that. I'm just... worried about you."

"But please," the blond continued softly, "at least try to not worry as much." He used his unoccupied hand to poke Sasuke's cheek. "You're getting a wrinkle."

It was quiet for a few minutes, before Sasuke started laughing, which caught Naruto off guard. "You're something else, dobe."

–

Naruto arose to the smell of baked beans. It was a nice, calming smell; something he had gotten use to ever since the bomb raid. Glancing at the opening flap of the tent – which Sasuke had left closed yet unzipped for him – he could tell that it was already past noon. He felt a heavy weight place itself in the pit of his stomach.

Oh how he longed to go outside; to feel the wind push past him, to play games with Kawatta, to joke around with Kiba, and take those much-loved long walks with Sasuke. But alas, every time he had tried to leave the confines of the tent, his legs would give out, and we would be met with the ground once again. Even if he could get himself to go outside, he knew that he would feel too weak to do any of the activities he had wanted to.

He clutched the blanket that was around him closer. _I don't want to be sick anymore_, he thought to himself._ I want to go out there, with Kiba, Kawatta...__ Sasuke. I want to be near him again._

As if hearing Naruto's thoughts, Sasuke moved the flap of the tent with a bowl in hand. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Same as yesterday." Slowly, he tried to raise himself up, but his arm gave out half-way. Before he could fall to the floor of the tent, Sasuke had caught him with his arm. "_Damn it_," he whispered heatedly.

"Careful, dobe." Sasuke handed him the bowl he had brought. "It's not much," he said, "but it should do until Kiba and I can go hunting again. Since it's getting warmer outside with Spring on its way, snow rabbits are getting scarce."

"It's fine," Naruto said weakly. With shaky hands, he grasped the spoon and brought it to his lips. He could already feel his arm starting to give out, but tried to will against it. The closer he got the spoon to his mouth, the more accomplished he began to feel. That is, until the spoon fell from his grasp, just a few centimeters away from the blond's mouth.

Anger quickly made itself known. Clenching his fists, he could feel the frustrating tears begin to well in his eyes. _I can't do anything!_

Naruto knew that Sasuke had noticed him crying, but at the moment, he couldn't get himself to care. When he felt said man's hand place itself on his shoulder, his frustration grew. As soon as Sasuke had asked him what was wrong, Naruto felt himself snap.

"I'm sick and-and f... fucking tired of this!" He yelled. He saw Sasuke's eyes widen a bit at his language. To be honest, it had surprised Naruto as well. "I don't want to be cooped up in here anymore! I want to go outside, with you and... and everyone else!" Slamming his fists onto the ground, he turned to Sasuke. "But I can't, right?" He added angrily. "Because I'm too sick. I'm too weak."

"Naruto-"

"I don't care! I don't want to be in here anymore! I don't want to be _sick_ anymore! I want to go _outside_!"

Immediately, Naruto noticed that the entire campsite grew silent. He scolded himself for yelling the way he did, and taking it out on Sasuke, of all people. The guilt that came with it rang in his chest. "I... I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to yell."

When Sasuke pulled him close, Naruto closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. "I know it's hard for you. It's hard for all of us," Sasuke said softly. "I suppose it's my fault for keeping you in here. It's just... I want you to get better, and I have this feeling that letting you go out there will only make you worse."

"But teme..."

"I'll take you outside." Sasuke said abruptly.

Naruto's blue eyes lit up for the first time since he had gotten sick. "R-Really? Promise?"

"I promise. But-" this made Naruto groan "_you _have to promise _me_ that you'll try to get better."

"I will!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "Promise!" He felt overjoyed when Sasuke wrapped a supportive arm around his waist, slowly lifting him to his feet. His legs, Naruto noted, felt like jelly. It was hard to stand, and without Sasuke supporting him, Naruto knew he wouldn't have been able to.

When they stepped outside, Naruto closed his eyes and let the wind caress him. When they opened again, he smiled when he saw Kiba sitting by the fire. "Hey, blondie!" Kiba stood and walked over to him. "Finally convinced Sasuke to let you out?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. But only for a little while." He cursed when he heard how rasping his voice sounded.

"We've got plenty of free time to waste," Kiba announced happily, "so whatever you want to do, we'll be with you."

Naruto looked up in thought. "How about... a walk?"

_Enkaku_

Kakashi grunted when he collided face-first on the rough ground. His arm was held behind his back painfully as he sighed. Minato laughed as he let Kakashi stand up and dust himself off.

"Not bad!" Minato slapped the officer on the back, causing him to wince. "Oh, sorry."

"You're awfully cheerful." Sarcasm laced Kakashi's comment.

"I'm impressed, that's why! You actually managed to hit me!"

"Yeah, after how many runs?"

Minato shrugged. "The fact is that you did it. But you're right. You'll have to progress much faster if you want to be ready for your return trip home."

Kakashi had nearly forgotten about that. With all of his training, he hadn't had much time to think about anything other than strategies to use against Minato. The blond wasn't playing when he had said that he was levels above himself. "Should we try again?" He asked.

As if debating it, Minato looked up toward the sky. "Hmm..." He snapped his fingers. "How about we go to the bar?"

"The... bar? Are you sure? I mean, since I only have a few more days left and all I thought-"

"I know," the blond interrupted, "but what's so wrong about having a little free time?"

"Nothing, I guess-"

"Good! Now let's go~!"

–

When the two arrived at the bar, they had caught a lot of attention. Kakashi could hear the disbelieving whispers buzz through the crowd. Things like, "Wow, he's not with a chick? That's a first" and "Who's the other dude with 'im?". It was certain that Minato could hear them, but he paid no mind to the others' useless gossip.

"Want a beer?" Minato asked Kakashi as they sat down at the island. "Or do you have more fancy tastes?"

"No, I think I've drunk enough this week," Kakashi replied, laughing softly. "Unless you have anything virgin?" The question was directed toward the man tending the bar, and he nodded. "I'll take one then."

When their drinks arrived, Minato tipped his drink to Kakashi, who did the same. "You must be really popular. The bar is abuzz about you," Kakashi stated. He saw Minato's eyes narrow.

"That's what happens when you're the son of a chief. The people watch your every move, like hawks, waiting for you to do something wrong." He took a swig of his beer. "Sometimes, I wish they'd stop. It's funny how they think I can't hear them mocking me."

"Your love life seems to be a pretty bid topic."

"Pfft. Like it's any of their business. Who I date, when I date, and how often I date is none of their concern." Blue eyes lowered to the island.

Being a small town, word travels fast. So much so that one day you think only a small group of people have something on you, but by the next day, it's common knowledge. Minato wished that they would all grow up. But Kakashi was right. If it was one thing the people of Enkaku liked to gossip about, it would be his love life.

The frequency of his relationships was well known. Minato was well aware of the fact that he dates more than the average person – okay, _way_ more – but he wasn't just doing it for fun. Somehow, he had hoped that by broadening his date life would help him find that "special someone" faster than normal dating. It was speed dating on a larger scale.

But, of course, that's not how it worked out. After the first couple - more like several of dates – dates, people began assuming that he was some sort of player. Naturally, he ignored it, bug it did in fact bug him.

"Sir... not that it's any of my business... but why _do_ you date so much?"

Sighing, Minato set his beer on the counter. "At first," he began, "I figured that if I dated a lot of people, I would find my 'soul mate' faster. So far, all it's done is solidify my reputation as some sort of whore."

Kakashi cringed at Minato's choice of words.

"But," Minato continued, "what's worse, I think, is that a couple of months ago, I met this woman. A beauty. I was... elated when I had heard that she was going to live here. Of course, at the same time, I was terrified." His eyes closed. "My reputation is public knowledge. She's bound to have heard it by now."

"I wouldn't be so down on yourself. I mean, it's understandable that you would want to find someone as soon as possible, that way you can-"

"I've decided that... since I met her, I won't date anyone else." Minato whispered this, as to not let the others at the bar know. "My mother would be happy. She hates the way I date. My father, well, he may be a bit disappointed. He always did enjoy peeping in on me for his book 'research'. The old pervert."

"Are you going to pursue her?" Kakashi asked.

Minato hesitated on this question. "I'm not sure."

"Well... what's her name?"

At this, Minato smiled. "Kushina."

_Isogashii; Campsite_

When Naruto returned to the tent, a small smile graced his face. Being able to go outside after such a long time was exactly what he needed. All day, Kiba, Sasuke, himself, and even Kawatta, took walks, played games, and all ate around the fire – together.

Kawatta had been put to bed early, and Kiba and Sasuke stayed up to clean up the campsite. The blond's smile grew wider as he put his fingers to his lips, remembering the sweet kiss Sasuke had given him before Naruto decided to go lie down.

As he closed his eyes to sleep, Naruto couldn't have imaged a more perfect day.

But later that night (about an hour later), when Sasuke retired to bed as well, the Uchiha noticed that something was off with Naruto. His fever had escalated, his skin feeling burning hot on his fingers tips.

Worst of all was that Naruto wasn't breathing.

–

_Haha. Cliffhanger._

Anyway, this is a quick update since I've been away for about a year.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading!


	15. In Sickness and In Health

**Fifteen.**

**In sickness and in health.**

_I knew this was a bad idea. I knew I shouldn't have let him go outside of the tent. And now... oh God, Naruto. You fucking better be okay._

– Sasuke

Swiftly, Sasuke pressed his ear to Naruto's chest, softly sighing when he heard the faint, yet beating pulse. He immediately began scooping the blond into his arms as he yelled, "Kiba! I need a hand!"

He heard shuffling from outside of the tent, near the bonfire, figuring that Kiba was on his way to them. "Use your own! You don't need my help for that."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch, and he just barely resisted the temptation to slap his forehead. He forgot how lewd Kiba's mind became the more tired he got. He sighed again, this time out of frustration. "This isn't some fucking joke!" He yelled, some urgency in his voice. It was necessary to get his point across. "I need your help, Kiba!"

"With what?"

"It's Naruto," Sasuke started, unable to keep his tone calm. "I can't... he's not breathing, and I don't know what to fu- I don't know what to do."

Outside, Sasuke heard more shuffling. This time, however, it seemed quickened and clumsy. He was relieved when he heard the front flap of Kiba's tent unzipping, signaling that Kiba was more than likely waking Kawatta. In a split second, the flap to his own tent was undone and Kiba barged in.

Kiba stood there with a slightly wide look to his eyes. "Is there –"

"A pulse?" Sasuke offered. "Yeah, but it's faint, and getting slower."

Beside Kiba, Kawatta stood rubbing her sleep glazed eyes. "Is Aniki going to be okay?" She asked quietly.

Her father immediately ushered her out of the tent. Kiba didn't want her to see what was occurring. She had already lost her mother; he never wanted her to go through losing a loved one at such a young age again. Considering that Naruto acted as the brother she would never and could never have, it was especially important to keep her distanced until they could find Naruto some help.

"He'll be okay sweetie," he assured her. Now wait by the fire where it's warm." Kawatta did as she was told, a long yawn accompanying her. Kiba then turned and quickly walked back inside the tent. "We need to get him to a hospital, dude. As soon as possible."

"I _know_ that, Kiba." Sasuke started to crouch in the tent, gently lifting and positioning Naruto in his arms. He bent his head as he stepped outside into the cold air. Before zipping his tent back up, he reached inside to grab a blanket, then covered Naruto the best he could. "There's a hospital not too far from here. It's where we went after that raid. But I... he's probably been like this for... a while. We don't have time to waste."

Kiba proceeded to lift Kawatta up in his arms. "Then let's start walking."

Sasuke smiled slightly, evading Kiba's notice. Sometimes, Kiba really came through for him. He was lucky to have this guy as his friend.

**Enkaku PD**

"Why not wait to go in the morning?" Minato asked as Kakashi threw his supply bag over his shoulder.

The gray haired man had gotten a call very early in the morning, saying that he could return home. Despite his lack of sleep, Kakashi instantly bolted for his things, eager to return and show off his new skills, as well as fall into that familiar routine of his back home. Hearing all the ruckus Kakashi was causing in his rush, Minato had unwillingly awoke, and went to see what he was up to. His hearing that Kakashi was leaving left him a little disappointed, as he had grown accustomed to the officer during his short stay.

"I miss home," Kakashi said with a smile, albeit hidden. "That, and you never know when they'll need me." He then extended his hand out to Minato. "It was an honor being taught by you. I learned so much. Thank you."

Minato said nothing. He stood there, staring at the outreached hand as if it offended him. He soon sighed and shook his head. "No need to be so formal," he said, but a bit of playfulness was in his tone. Hard to detect, but there nonetheless. "I have a special reserve vehicle I use to um..."

"Pick up chicks?" Kakashi finished for him, amused.

"Smart ass. It's for emergencies, not that we have much of those around here." He pointed to the garage across the street from where they stood with his thumb. It was a medium sized garage, nearly masked to no visibility by the darkness of the early morning. "It's just in that garage over there."

Kakashi hesitated. "I couldn't possibly make you go out of your way-"

"Nonsense," interrupted Minato. "You've proven yourself to be a great man, and a good officer at that. Your determination and instinct isn't something that should be taken lightly. For that, I think you've _at least_ earned a ride home."

Kakashi didn't say anything else on the matter. No "But Sir," no "Thank you," no "I understand." Words didn't have to be spoken for them to get what the other way trying to convey. Minato knew the young officer was grateful, and that was all the blond needed to know. Because, he would admit, Kakashi reminded him a lot of himself, and you don't always necessarily need words.

"What are we waiting for?" Minato asked with a grin. "Let me go inside and get the keys, and we'll head out!"

**Isogashii**

Holding onto Naruto, carrying him bridal style with the blanket covering him, it was all Sasuke could do to remain calm, and not think of the worse possible outcomes Naruto could face. He didn't want to worry Kiba, and nor did he want Kawatta to grow upset at the probability of someone else she loves being torn from her. The small girl had gone through so much already and the last thing Sasuke wanted was to add the current situation to that list.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel guilty in the end, no matter how he looked at it. Ultimately, when Naruto had asked him to go outside, he could have said no. He couldn't have explained to Naruto that he was far too sick to risk it more firmly; with them being miles away from help, and with the police on the lookout for the blond, he didn't particularly want to risk Naruto's health declining further. But with those passionate, longing eyes, he couldn't say no.

He was surprised when all Naruto had wanted to do was walk along the hidden path that he – Sasuke – and Kiba had made for sightseeing as well as hunting.

/ _Earlier that day_ /

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Sasuke asked as he supported Naruto on his left side. Said blond was clinging to his left arm like it was his only lifeline.

Naruto plastered a small, content smile on his face. "Mhmm. It feels nice not being in that tent."

Sasuke smiled, too, on the inside of course, and went about fixing Naruto's scarf. It was red, and a bit tattered due to the raid they had experienced a while back. He wanted to make sure it covered both Naruto's nose and mouth, keeping most of his face warm. Naruto blushed at the gesture, but said nothing.

Kiba and Kawatta were several feet ahead of them, walking and talking about random things they passed, or whatever came to their mind. Kiba knew that Sasuke and Naruto hadn't really been able to spend "quality" time together since Naruto got sick, and was more than willing to give them that time now. Not that he minded, of course. Spending time with Kawatta was as enjoyable as it was interesting. It gave him a chance to see how she thinks, and find out more about her opinions on things, ranging from the miniscule to topics like the war.

The silence between both Naruto and Sasuke wasn't tense or awkward, but it also wasn't exactly cozy and comfortable. Naruto knew that Sasuke was still uneasy about letting him walk around in his ill state, but was grateful when Sasuke had gone against his better judgment – which Naruto knew was something that the Uchiha _hated _doing – to let him do so. At this thought, Naruto gazed up at Sasuke, his eyes warm, with a grin on his face.

At first, Sasuke wasn't sure how to take that smile – whether it was something mischievous or not; with Naruto you never knew. "What's the smile for?" He asked.

Naruto laughed softly at this. "I'm just... happy. And surprised that you actually let me out."

"Hn. If you hadn't of been as upset as you were, I wouldn't have." Sasuke noticed the guilty look on Naruto's face. "No."

Questioningly, Naruto looked back up at him, this time meeting the others eyes. "What?"

"Don't have that look on your face. I still could have said no. I simply... pictured myself in your situation for a second. I would want out, too."

Naruto snuggled more closely to Sasuke and hummed. "You're really warm," he commented softly, his voice muffled by the scarf.

"Hn."

They walked for about a half hour without saying anything, going along at a leisurely pace. Kiba and Kawatta had long since escaped their view, most likely already on their way back to the camp site so Kawatta could have a much needed nap.

"Hey, Sasuke." Naruto said suddenly.

"What?"

"Do you think... I should be here?"

Sasuke simply stared at Naruto for a few minutes. The question was so unanticipated, unexpected, and out of nowhere. The far away look in Naruto's eyes told Sasuke that he was thinking of his old "master", and Sasuke was unsure of how to go about answering his question. He started off by asking one of his own, "What are you meaning by that?"

"Alive. I mean... think back to everything I've told you. About what's inside me, thus leading to what I can do. It's not natural, not healthy, and just... not needed. Not to mention that it's probably hazardous to my health, or well being in general." Naruto stopped to collect his thoughts. He wanted to plan what he wanted to say wisely, as he was just spewing the first thing that came to mind. "Why do you think Madara made me?" He asked. It was a simple enough question to get the conversation going, instead of rambling about things as he had just done.

"I don't know," Sasuke answered. "But I have to say that... however you became the Naruto standing beside me, I'm glad."

Naruto felt his face grow heated once more. _Damn him and his way with words. "_Okay, then what about-"

"About?" The Uchiha urged. He knew what Naruto was going to say, but wanted him to say it however he felt he had to, and felt comfortable doing so.

"About... _that_?"

Sasuke grunted. "You're going to have to be more specific than generally saying 'that'."

With a pout, Naruto huffed, "Yeah, but you know what I mean. Why would he make it so that I – a man – can... have babies?"

Sasuke, who was laughing internally by the way Naruto had murmured the ending of his sentence, just shrugged. "Who's to know?"

"But isn't it... weird? Even a little bit? And you said you read a letter that he wrote about me! Maybe that said why."

"What are you trying to say? I thought we already had this conversation. And it's not like I remember what it said. I was still trying to process everything, if you hadn't noticed at the time."

Naruto, having a short attention span as he did, changed up the question. "How do you think Kiba would react if he knew?"

Sasuke paused to think about it. Kiba, he knew, was open-minded about a lot of things. He had nothing against anyone, unless you gave him a reason to, and wasn't judgmental, depending on who you were to him. So he was unsure about just what his reaction would be. "I can't answer that," Sasuke said after a few minutes. "Kiba can be unpredictable about things as complicated as this, or anything complicated in general. I don't see him... 'disowning' you or anything; Kawatta would have his head if he did anything to hurt your feelings or push you away."

Naruto smiled at that last statement. How he adored that little girl. "I think... Kawatta would accept me," Naruto hopefully stated. "She really has become like a sister to me."

"All in all," Sasuke started, "I don't think it would matter much. About this whole conceiving thing."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I don't really see us... I mean, not that I don't want to or anything, it's just- it goes back to the whole 'can't picture myself' thing." Sasuke scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I suppose." Naruto said. His tone was flat, and Sasuke had a hard time deciphering it. "I mean, can you imagine little Sasuke babies running around, causing trouble?" He laughed. It was warm and playful. "Kiba would have a fit trying to keep up with breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. And if they were anything like you, personality-wise, there would be a lot of broody Uchihas."

"Pfft, for one, they wouldn't be unruly. If they were, then it certainly wouldn't come from my genes. I was a perfectly behaved child growing up."

"Ha! That doesn't mean that your kids are going to be like that. And I'm not unruly!"

Naruto settled into a pout. _I'm not unruly, that mean, insensitive, jerkface teme! _"I think you'd make a great dad, Sasuke," Naruto whispered to himself.

The blond momentarily forgot how good of hearing Sasuke had, and was surprised when the other said, "And despite your loud mouth, excessive energy, constant questions, and at times overwhelming stubbornness, I have no doubt that you'd be a great parent, too."

Instead of responding, Naruto delved deeper into his scarf. Hearing Sasuke say things like that made his face heat up, and butterflies dance in his stomach. He found it interesting how he and Sasuke could talk about something such as kids so casually as they were, especially since there could actually be a way to find out if those accusations were true or not. As he spotted the campsite, he leaned more into Sasuke, feeling more exhausted than his liking. It was nice to get out, but it was also taxing on the so-called excessive energy Sasuke stated that he possessed.

Sasuke sped up their pace when he noticed his blond's sudden exhaustion. Even though he was against it, Sasuke was glad that he and Naruto spent the time together that they did. It was something that he would never take for granted.

/

Kiba stole a glance at his best friend. His disheveled and messy appearance was no doubt – in Kiba's mind – a third of what the Uchiha was feeling inside. The nearest hospital was still miles away, and Naruto's condition only seemed to decline that much faster. Deep down, as much as Kiba didn't want to admit it, the blond's heart would stop beating. Not only that, but who knew how long Naruto had been not breathing. The whole situation didn't seem real, and from what Kiba understood, Naruto shouldn't have been alive _at all_, let alone hanging on a thread. It was as though something was sustaining him, keeping him alive enough for them to get help.

It just puzzled Kiba even more. "He's going to be okay, Sasuke," the brunette said quietly. Kawatta, whom he carried up against his chest as she slept, stirred slightly. "I can tell you're beating yourself up about it, but really, none of us could have imagined this-"

"I should have been more careful," Sasuke insisted. "I- he seemed fine when he went to lay back down. And now look what's happened- dammit. This is all my fault."

Placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, Kiba shook his head. "No, it's not. I don't know how many times I have to say it. Like you said, he was fine. This is something _none_ of us could control."

Sasuke's pace grew slower, and his heart sank. He clutched Naruto as gently as he could, and then whispered, "He won't make it. By the time we get to the hospital, Kiba... There's just no way." The words felt like acid as he said them, but he knew it was the truth. He had an idea of what was keeping Naruto with them, for now, but he knew that it would soon stop, and they wouldn't be able to stop it. He told himself that this must have been akin to what Kiba felt when he had found out about Hinata. Though, he knew Kiba's ordeal was worse, but Sasuke felt that quite possibly he'd be feeling that same pain.

_This can't be right_, Sasuke thought to himself. _You can't just weasel your way into my heart, then just... leave me. Stupid dobe!_

"We're going to need some kind of miracle," the Uchiha said absently into the darkness. Unfortunately, Sasuke was known to be about as unlucky as they came.

"Let's up our pace," Kiba suggested. He understood how Sasuke was feeling. As far as he knew, this was the first time his friend had ever allowed anyone so close to him as Naruto had gotten, so of course he'd be having a rough time. He was also not one to sugar-coat things, and his bluntness could be seen as a way of unconsciously protecting himself from the distress he was in. "You never know," the brunette started, an optimistic tone in his voice, "we might yet be in for a miracle."

Sasuke was about to open his mouth to say that no, the possibility of that was slim, and building up this wall of hope that Kiba was trying to do would only hurt him more in the end, until a faint sound reached his ears. It wasn't quite near them, and he couldn't tell right off what it was. "Do you... do you hear that?" He asked.

Kiba concentrated for a moment, then, when he did indeed hear a faint sound – as though something was approaching them at a fast rate – his mind veered from the just-optimistic to oh-God-we're-going-to-die. "What if it's-"

"Don't," Sasuke commanded. "We have enough on our plates as it is."

When the sound grew closer, thus getting louder, Kawatta let out a soft whine. "Shh," Kiba soothed, running a hand through her hair. Kiba chanced a look behind them, and saw a light in the distance. "Shit, man, whatever it is, it's coming this way."

For confirmation, Sasuke also turned his head to look behind them. "It looks like... a vehicle or something."

"What's one doing out at this time?" When it caught up to them, Kiba only hoped that whoever was driving wouldn't want trouble. Then, light a light bulb turns on, Kiba had an idea. "What if... we try and wave them down?"

"Are you serious?" The heated whisper was drenched in disbelief. "First, you're trying to be optimistic, then, you go off and immediately think the worst of that... car, truck, whatever the hell it is that's approaching us, and now you want to _flag them down_?"

… Okay, so Kiba may be getting a little contradictory, but considering that he has yet to get some sleep, he had a hard time even _functioning_ let alone thinking straight. "Yeah yeah I know but... they have a _vehicle_ Sasuke. Something that goes a lot faster than just us walking. Get where I'm getting at?"

Nodding, Sasuke sighed. This was yet another opportunity in which his better judgment intruded his thoughts. _Of course we could get there faster if it was by vehicle... but who knows who's driving. It could be the police, or worse._

Time was not on their side in deciding what they should do, because as soon as Sasuke was going to reply to Kiba's suggestion, the car had sped past them. The stood still as the wind whirled around them, chilling them further. "Well," started Kiba in a flat tone, "there goes that." They were about to resume walking when a loud screech sounded through the night, followed by Kawatta's loud, tired-filled whine.

While Kiba tried to calm Kawatta, obviously scared at the sudden noise that disturbed her sleep, he and Sasuke knew what the sound had meant, and sure enough, the vehicle started to come back into view, along with arousing a nervous fear deep within both men.

–

Minato slammed on the brakes and gave a pointed look at Kakashi. "What what what!" He said with a touch of confusion in his tone.

Kakashi just sat there, trying to register what he had just seen. He could have sworn that he had saw Sasuke, along with the blond boy – Naruto. "Can you back up the car? I need to double check something."

"... Alright." Doing as he was told, he slowly backed up the vehicle. He didn't get what was so important that Kakashi just had to check on, but he didn't second guess. He stopped when given a signal to, and Kakashi hopped out of the car.

It didn't take long for him to confirm that he did indeed see the young men, and the brunette was even carrying his young girl. The whole scene didn't seem right. Didn't they know it was dangerous wandering around this late at night? And why was the Uchiha clutching Naruto like he was?

The men were wary of him at first, since he wasn't close enough for them to get a positive ID of who was approaching them. In an attempt to quell some of their caution he said, "It's me, Officer Hatake. Are you guys alright?"

It was silent. Not a normal silence, or a hesitant silence, but it was... sad? "It's... It's Naruto," Sasuke said slowly, making sure to keep his tone under control. "He fell sick with a cold, the flu – I'm not even sure what he has. But... he's not breathing. He hasn't been for God knows how long."

"O-Okay, look. I can give you guys a ride to the local hospital. Does he have a pulse?"

"Yes, but it's growing fainter and I can... I can barely feel it."

The gray haired man knew that on the inside, the Uchiha was a mess. It made his heart drop to see him like this, and it didn't matter whether or not Minato would be game for making a last minute change in plan, he just wanted to help him. He quickly motioned them to move. "Come on, come on. The vehicle's just up ahead. We have to hurry if we want to have a chance at saving your friend."

Nodding, Sasuke didn't question the officer. His main concern was getting Naruto to a hospital and making sure he lives throughout this ordeal. As he stepped in the vehicle and took a seat in the back, he didn't pay any attention to the driver. He also didn't notice the odd look he received from him as he settled Naruto against his chest.


End file.
